Something About a Southern Girl
by writergrrrl
Summary: Josie was a smalltown waitress when Happy came roaring into her life. Will she be able to traverse the rocky path for women in the club?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Yes, I'm still working on my Walking Dead fic, but it decided to be stubborn and Happy started taking over my brain. This is rated M, because it's a SOA/Happy fic, and I'm me. I'm setting this in an AU of Season 1, with Happy already going Nomad._

Josie clapped her chalk-covered hands together, focusing on her breathing and shaking out her arms and legs as the thin, white cloud dissipated. For the next hour, she would be surrounded by the musky smell of old and new sweat, grey mats, and the grunts of her classmates. Later, after an afternoon nap and some errands, she would spend the evening running plates to and from tables in a small diner.

The barbell resting on the floor at her feet was 125 pounds of pain just waiting to happen. While discomfort was bothersome, it wasn't something that she couldn't handle, and the men and women surrounding her had become a family when her own lay fractured and incomplete. Shaking off thoughts of family members who had passed away along with the remembered smell of frying hamburger patties and spilled milkshakes, Josie forced herself to live in the moment and be completely present for what was always one of the highlights of her week.

"Alright, everybody, find your focus!" Kate, the instructor for their Crossfit group, paced along the front of the open garage bay-style doors. "Most of you have upped your weights today, so go for completion and not for time."

White Zombie's "More Human Than Human" blared through the speakers mounted in the corners of the ceiling as the timer counted down and her hands firmly wrapped around the metal bar. It was time to do work.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Lockeford, California, had been a quiet, charming place when her parents had realized a shared dream of owning a family vineyard after putting Josie's older brothers through college and selling their plantation home in Georgia. With very little crime, the picturesque, historic town on the edge of wine country remained just as appealing to visitors and residents alike. This time of year, the hot summer days were filled with tourists passing through as inhabitants went about their lives while the nights were balmy and filled with the sounds of crickets and the music of an occasional garage or bar band.

Many of the locals raised a hand in greeting as Josie rumbled through its quaint downtown on her way to the diner situated just off the highway between Lockeford and Lodi. The skirt of her uniform was tucked under her thighs, though she wore a pair of tight running shorts under the lace trimmed underskirt to guard against both flashing her panties and the warmth of black leather in the summer sun. The Harley Softail Slim had been a present to herself after selling the vineyard following her parents' deaths, and Josie refused to ride anything else unless absolutely necessary.

Sally's was a throwback to the 1950s, drawing the eye of passing motorists with its bright red and chrome siding and screaming neon sign. Open all day, every day, it catered to loggers in the morning, tourists desiring a uniquely Americana lunch or dinner experience, and college kids needing a place to drink coffee and study all night. Families came in for lunch or after work suppers, while older couples were known to stop in for a shared milkshake and a plate of fries. Josie's homemade pies were a point of personal pride for her, and a big hit with the customers. The daily specials did not change from week to week during the seasons, and were posted on a large board over the long, enamel topped counter.

Her reverse saddle shoes squeaked just a bit on the red and white checkered floor, and Josie took a moment to tie her apron around her trim waist and adjust the nametag over her left breast. The deep green of her uniform complimented her thick strawberry blonde braid well and made her nearly aqua eyes even more stunning. Looking around, she assessed the three tables of regulars with a smile and went to talk to Debbie, the older lady who worked the lunch to early evening shift.

"Hello, Debbie, how's it going?"

Debbie rubbed at her lower back through her pink dress and sniffed with the air of a career waitress. "Not bad. Couple kids throwing straws earlier."

"Well, if that's the worst you've had, and tips are okay, you're doin' good."

"Don't I know it." Jerking her chin toward the counter, Debbie indicated the cylindrical container in which they made iced tea. "Gonna need to make tea soon. That's been sitting since morning, and you know how stale tea tastes."

"Alright, I'll get on that before anyone else comes in. Finishing your tables before you take off to see that ornery husband of yours?"

"That's the plan." Winking, she hurried to bring a table with a fussing baby a tiny bowl of ice cream.

Josie had just finished stirring sugar and ice into the deep brown tea when a black Harley roared onto the lot. Knowing that Debbie was itching to head home, Josie checked to make sure her ordering pad and some pens were in the right pocket of her white apron before moving around the wait station and into the open dining room. The man sliding into the booth along the wall between the entrance and fire exit nearly had her tripping over her own feet.

He was bald, his caramel skin a bit worn and weathered from being exposed to the sun so consistently. Deep brown eyes looked nearly black from where he sat, and they tracked her knowingly as she recovered and moved over the polished floor. The smirk on his almost cruel lips nearly distracted her enough that the tattoo of a snake slithering over the crown of his head took her by surprise.

"Hi!" Where nerve failed her, the manners drilled into her during her Southern childhood rallied. "Welcome to Sally's. How are you this evening?"

Dark eyes flicked over her, and she felt as if the curve of her breasts and the dip and swell of her waist had just been examined and cataloged. "Fine."

"Can I start you off with something to drink while you decide?"

"Coffee." Before she could open her mouth to ask about cream, he grinned slightly. "Black."

"Be right back with that, hun." Spinning on her heel, Josie enjoyed the way the full skirt flared out around her thighs.

Debbie was hovering behind the half wall of the wait station, worried eyes darting between the new customer and the younger woman. "You okay?"

"Please, I'll be fine!" Flipping a heavy mug upright on a small saucer, Josie grabbed the half full carafe to fill the cup as she spoke. "You go on home and enjoy your weekend."

"You sure?"

Snorting, Josie rolled her eyes at the concern. "I'm 23, not 13. Mikey and Big John are in the kitchen. I'll be **fine**."

Nodding, though the downturned corners of her mouth nearly screamed her disagreement, Debbie pulled her purse over her shoulder and followed Josie back onto the floor. "Well, call if you need me for anything."

Smiling, Josie wished her a happy anniversary before placing the saucer and steaming mug down on the table. "Have you decided what you would like?"

"Double cheeseburger platter with everything. Extra fries."

The rough timbre of his voice was somehow soothing and arousing all at once, and Josie felt something low in her abdomen quiver in response. Forcing a smile, she nodded and headed to the small window that opened into the kitchen. After placing the order, she made a new pot of coffee and began rolling silverware while she waited, angling herself to keep an eye on the mostly empty room.

After delivering his meal to the table (Josie noticed some more ink peeking out from under the cuffs of his thermal shirt), the man was mostly silent. He would nod when asked if everything tasted okay or if he wanted more coffee. Josie could only wish her other table was as easy.

Just as she put the man's plate down, a group of six young men had entered. Taking up one of the big booths across the room from the lone biker, they had begun a familiar routine. Asking for extras and substitutions that they would then claim to be wrong in order to force the waitress to run between them and the kitchen or wait station. Josie knew from years of experience that this would result in little to no tip and could impact tips from any other tables as the loud group took up more of her time than necessary.

Taking a moment to refill the tattooed man's cup, Josie couldn't suppress a sigh when the others began calling for her loudly.

Thick, strong fingers wrapped around her wrist before she could leave the table. "You okay?"

A thrill tingled down her spine as his work roughened fingers rubbed against the delicate skin at the inside of her wrist.

"Yeah," a small grin stole across her lips for his obviously uneasy concern. "As long as they don't get too crude or start grabbing me, I'm fine."

When he simply nodded and let go, Josie hurried to see what the other group thought they needed. Replacing the carafe on the warmer, she stepped lightly over to the crowded table, noticing that there was trash and ketchup littering its surface. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I'm sure we could come up with a few things, darlin'." One of the boys, apparently the leader of the group, leered at her from his seat at the edge of the table. His hair reminded her of Justin Bieber, and she fought back a derisive giggle at his feeble attempts at picking her up.

"As long as it has to do with you dining here, then sure. Otherwise, I'm not interested."

"Ah, now, don't be like that." Reaching forward, his fingers just barely skimmed over her side.

"**Hey, ASSHOLE!**" The shout was a gunshot echoing through the diner, and Josie flinched along with the boys in front of her. The biker had moved silently across the floor, and was standing just behind her right shoulder. "Time for you dickweeds to pay up and go."

One glance into the now truly black eyes of the aggressive man in leather had the boys scrambling to get out of the booth. Unfortunately for them, the only way out was past him. Gripping the leader by the back of the neck, he held his hand out to a still motionless Josie.

"Check."

Pulling it from her order book with shaking fingers, she placed it in his open palm.

"$42.78, so $10 each."

One of the boys made a whining noise from his spot at the back of the booth. "But that's nowhere near-"

His protests slowly died as the older man stared him down. "$10 each to cover the bullshit you've been pulling. And don't let me see you in here again."

When a stack of bills was neatly placed on the table, and the worst of the mess cleaned up, the biker let go of the kid and stood silently as the group fled the restaurant. Smirking to himself, he went back to his table and now cold coffee. When a steaming cup of coffee was placed quietly down in front of him, he followed the arm holding it up to the pretty face of the young waitress.

"Why did you do that?" Josie couldn't fight the shy smile that tipped the corners of her lips up. "I could've handled it."

"Said you were fine unless they touched you."

Understanding the logic, Josie grinned openly. "Well, that earns you a free slice of pie. Any flavor."

"Got apple?"

Josie smiled and plated it up quickly. Setting it down in front of the man, Josie put her hand out to him. "I'm Josephine, but my friends call me Josie or Josie May."

Nodding slightly and letting his head roll back a bit on his shoulders, the man gripped her hand firmly. "Happy."

**Happy POV**

Happy had spent the day helping Tig and Chibs inspect a few different gun warehouses in the countryside surrounding Charming. The Mexican women they paid to assemble their guns were doing their jobs well and without complaint for the sparse living conditions, and the men had been satisfied enough to finish by mid-evening. While Tig and Chibs had things to take care of for the mother charter, Happy was free to spend the rest of his day how he saw fit.

The open country road with no destination in mind was just what he needed after the last few days of controlled riding and tight deadlines. The warm summer wind in his face smelled of lush greenery and wild flowers, and his empty stomach made itself known just as a large neon sign came into view along the winding road. There were a few cars and one bike parked toward the rear of Sally's restaurant as he pulled into the lot.

The girl who came up to his table was young, but didn't hold herself like jailbait. She had a quiet voice with some sort of southern accent, and she looked him in the eye when she spoke to him. Most bitches didn't do that, preferring to look in his general direction or even at his shoulder or chest while they flirted or simpered. That was more about the cut on his shoulders than him as a person, anyway, and Happy was content to let the club whores do their jobs with or without eye contact.

This wasn't a bitch or a whore though. This was a girl who was working for her money, and who was treating him no better or worse than anyone else. He liked that.

The older woman making a comment about calling her drew his attention, and he smirked as he realized she didn't trust him alone with her pretty friend.

His dinner was barely on the table when two cars pulled into the lot and a loud group of boys trundled into a booth across the room from his quiet table. He could tell from their tipped heads and smart assed grins that they were going to cause trouble for the tiny girl with the blue-green eyes.

When they started attempting to flirt with her, and she rebuffed their offers, Happy grinned to himself. _Girl like that needs a man, not some pissant piece of shit._

The skin of the girl's freckled wrist was thin and smooth under his hand when he wrapped his fingers around the delicate bones there. He could feel her pulse there, strong and steady against him, and felt oddly pleased that it wasn't racing in fright. He was at once pleased and annoyed when she told him that she was "fine", though she did give him an opening should the brats across the restaurant get any worse.

When the blond asshole reached out to touch the girl's waist, Happy saw red. If anyone got to touch her, it wasn't going to be some rich little bastard who didn't deserve to even look at her. Putting as much menace as possible into his voice and stance, he soon had the boys quelled and shaking before him.

As they were retrieving payment for their meals, as well as for the bullshit they had put the girl through, Happy shook the one in his grip sharply. "Clean this shit up. This girl ain't your maid."

After they had left, the girl gave him a fresh cup of coffee. When she asked for his reason, Happy's mind suddenly went blank. He wasn't sure exactly why he had been so angry, only that he didn't want them touching her.

When she smiled and introduced herself, Happy shook her hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a woman, though her palms were rough and callused. The buttery soft back of her hand was pale and lightly freckled. He liked the combination more than he was willing to admit, even to himself.


	2. Questions and Some Answers

_AN: Thank you all for the reviews! This wrote pretty quickly, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it. Please feel free to leave thoughts/ideas/comments. I love me some long reviews. Oh, and I own nothing of Sons of Anarchy, though I would love a shot at Happy and Chibs._

**Happy POV**

Almost a week after the diner visit, Happy saw her again.

As Happy, Jax, and Chibs weren't needed on the warehouse runs, and the garage had been slow for a few days, Gemma had recruited them to accompany her and Luanne as the women went to Lodi for some baby shopping for Jax's unborn son. The three men were standing outside a small strip mall, having a smoke and enjoying not being surrounded by estrogen and baby clothes, when a group of twenty people jogged by on their way to a large, plain building across the road.

Happy could see someone raising three rolling doors so that the entire building became open. The mats and weights inside told him what the lack of sign did not. The joggers were warming up for a hard time in the gym. One of the girls caught his eye as she passed, a mass of reddish hair somehow twisted and bound at the back of her head.

Josie did not notice him, though he couldn't force his eyes away from her pumping arms and swaying hips. Beads of sweat had formed along her hairline and shoulders, her skin glistening in the light. A black and blue sports bra and tiny shorts were the only things shielding her from the warm morning air. _What the fuck does she think she's doing, wearing that shit in public? _Some ridiculous socks, striped like a rainbow, were pulled up to her knees as she moved easily over the asphalt and into the now obvious gym.

His well-trained eye caught flashes of ink at her collarbone and along her side as she passed, though he couldn't make out the designs from where he stood.

Chibs whistled quietly. "Would ye look a' tha'?"

"Already lookin', Chibs." Jax, ever aware of his effect on the opposite sex, grinned wolfishly at a few of the stragglers. "This some sort of aerobics or some shit?"

"Nah. That's something else." Happy could just barely make out Josie's lithe form as she began to lift a heavy bar stacked with weights alongside the others. He hadn't noticed how toned her arms were the night they met, and he wondered what else about her he had missed. "Don't look like a bunch of bitches sweatin' to the oldies to me."

"Those are some serious weights, me brutha." The Scotsman was noticeably impressed. His eyebrows shot to his hairline as hardcore metal began pouring from the gym's open doors.

Jax's response died on his lips as Gemma and Luanne emerged from the shop, drawing the men away. Happy glanced over his shoulder at the grey building as the men mounted their bikes and led Gemma's convertible to the next stop.

Thoughts of the little redhead plagued him the rest of the morning and late into the afternoon. While he had enjoyed seeing more of her supple, pale skin, he didn't appreciate that other men could see it just as easily. That he had no claim on her bothered him, as he wanted her for his own. How far he was willing to take it, however, was unclear at best.

Happy didn't consciously decide to revisit the diner for dinner that evening, but he wasn't surprised that he happened to be close when his stomach started making itself known.

**Shared POV**

Josie had been running herself ragged since she began her shift just as the usual lunch rush should have been dying down. A charter bus carrying a group of middle aged people on some sort of singles winery tour had stopped in at 2:00, filling the small dining area to near capacity. Just as they were leaving, another group – this one made up entirely of seniors on a day trip from one of the assisted living apartment complexes – had rolled in. Running platters of burgers and listening to stories about hot fudge sundaes that cost a nickel had grown old quickly, and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief and roll silverware before the usual Wednesday dinner rush began.

Josie was just placing the Williams's usual dinner on the table (one double cheeseburger platter for dad, a turkey club on whole wheat for mom, and two children's chicken fingers with fries for the twins) when a sleek black bike slid onto the lot between a soccer mom express and a beat up Chevy truck. Acknowledging to herself that it was probably a little sad that she already recognized it as belonging to Happy, Josie forced herself to focus on her current table. Letting another family know that she would have their refills to them quickly, she turned to smile at him as he stepped through the door.

"Hey, hun. Grab a seat anywhere, and I'll be right with you." Josie had turned to retrieve the promised drinks when a thought struck her and she spun back around to see Happy already sliding into the same booth from the week before. "Coffee?"

"Yeah." Happy wondered if she knew how that skirt flared around her shapely legs when she spun like that, giving just a peep at shorts edged in white lace.

The large plastic tray Josie carried on one upturned palm allowed her to replace drinks as she moved through the room before arriving at Happy's table with a cup of hot coffee.

"Busy day?" His voice slid over her spine like a caress, calming and warming her until her frayed nerves settled just a bit.

"You have **no **idea." Josie sighed, and Happy had the insane urge to force her to sit down while they spoke. "Been running nonstop since 2:00."

"Calming down now." Happy could see where some tables had recently been emptied and a teenage boy was clearing the dishes and sliding them into a big plastic tub.

"Yeah, and I'm out of here at 10:00, so it's not too bad tonight." Josie nodded at a table ready for their bill before grinning lightly at Happy. "Need a minute with the menu?"

"Nah, I'll have the double cheeseburger platter."

"Extra fries?"

He smiled widely at her remembering his order. "Yeah."

Josie dropped off the bill at two tables on her way to put in his order, then turned to check on the Williams family before bringing over the carafe to refill Happy's coffee. Two more tables were filled as two emptied, and she scurried to take care of them around running his plates to him. Snatching the ketchup from another table, she made sure Happy had a full bottle for his mountain of crinkly potatoes.

Knowing that she would be busy for at least another hour, Happy settled in to enjoy his dinner and wait. He wanted to talk to her, to be the center of her attention, and there was nothing else he had to do that night. These other people had to leave sometime.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

By 8:00, the diner was blessedly empty, and Josie sent Thomas the busboy home with a sincere thank you before pouring Happy yet another cup of black coffee as he came back in from having another cigarette. "You've been here a while."

"Nothin' better to do."

Josie nodded and glanced around the empty tables. "Pretty good people watching around here today, that's for sure."

Happy felt a devilish smirk twine across his lips as his eyes slid over her curves. "Yeah. Real good."

Josie rolled her eyes and replaced the glass container on its burner before placing an order for a salad with fried chicken strips ripped apart on top and pouring herself extra honey mustard dressing. Rolling clean silverware as she waited for her order to be finished, she shifted from foot to foot in order to give her aching heels some relief. Her lower back was screaming, and she prayed that a hot shower and some Bengay would be in her very near future.

"Hey, little girl," Happy interrupted her as she began to organize her dinner standing at the wait station. "Come sit."

"You sure?"

Happy chuckled. "Someone gonna rat you out?"

"Nah, Big John and Mikey are cool." Josie grabbed the huge bowl containing her salad, the two dishes of dressing, and her glass of iced tea, putting them on a tray so she didn't have to make two trips. Sliding a new mug of coffee on there for Happy as well, she walked over to his booth. "Want pie to go with it? I'd feel weird eating alone."

"Got apple?"

"Of course!" Slicing him a generous piece, Josie placed it down in front of him before she sank down onto the cushioned vinyl with a sigh of a woman who truly appreciates being off her feet. "It's going to suck having to stand up and get back to work."

"Then don't." Happy finished chewing his first bite before pointing at her with his fork and continuing. "Tell these people to fuck off and come for a ride with me."

Josie threw her head back and laughed before pouring one of the dishes of dressing over her salad, saving the second for when the first layer of greens was gone. "If I leave here tonight, it's to go home and nowhere else. Too tired for any shenanigans this evening."

"That's because you were running around in your underwear half the day." His tone was teasing, but Josie was able to pick up an edge to his words.

"What?"

"Saw you running this morning."

"Ah, you mean my Crossfit. You were at the mall this morning?" Going back to her food, Josie was glad that Big John always remembered to add extra chicken strips to her order. Looked like extra bacon tonight as well. "Pretty much anything else is too hot to work out in."

Happy barked out another laugh. "Bet your Old Man just hates that shit."

"Old man?"

Shrugging and motioning carelessly with his fork, Happy snorted. "Boyfriend or whatever."

He was fishing, but Happy figured there wasn't a smother way of asking if she was spoken for. She wasn't wearing a ring, but people were weird about that shit sometimes.

"Oh, no." Josie could feel her cheeks becoming pink as she shook her head. "No boyfriend or anything for me. I'm too. . . different for guys around here."

"How? Ya look normal enough to me."

"My looks are okay, I guess, though I'm pretty plain and pale. I guess I'm just pretty traditional, and most of the idiots around here think that means they can do whatever they want and take me for granted." Josie swallowed against the rolling tide of words and grinned at her table mate. "They get all pissed off when it doesn't work like that."

"You should probably stop dating assholes and dickweeds, then." Giving her a scowl, he rumbled at her. "And your looks are fine."

Happy was rewarded with a full, lovely laugh before Josie motioned toward him. "So, tell me about you."

"What 'bout me?"

"Well, I know you're part of the Sons, though I'm assuming the 'Nomad' patch means you don't stay in one place too long."

"Nah, I move around where they need me."

Josie's eyes settled on the patch over his chest. _Unholy Ones _didn't seem like something she should know – or even ask – about, and Happy's face hardened as if to back up that thought. She had a feeling that the _Men of Mayhem _placard was off limits as well.

"I'm not gonna ask about that, if that's okay."

"Couldn't tell you anyway." His voice did that lovely growl again, and Josie couldn't stop a sigh at the way it echoed over her bones.

"Yeah, that's what I figured." Josie grinned at him and made quick work of the rest of her dinner as he finished his pie.

"If you don't have an Old Man, don't your father have a problem with you runnin' around town in almost nothin'?"

"It's not almost nothing!" Josie shook her head at his nearly one-track mind. "And my parents passed away. Car accident. Almost two years ago now."

Shifting uncomfortably, Happy frowned. "Sorry and shit."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Smiling softly, Josie gathered the dirty dishes onto her tray before pushing herself to her feet. "I've got my salts and sugars to do before I can leave. I'm hoping the other waitress comes in early so I can split."

"You work the same shift all the time?" Happy rose to his feet, towering over Josie.

Josie nodded and found herself blushing as she turned to carry the tray to the counter. _Did that mean he wants to know where he can find me?_ "Most of the time, unless someone needs to trade or something."

The ring of his prepay stopped any response. Dropping enough to cover his bill plus a decent tip on the table, Happy waved as he flipped the phone open. "What?"

Josie shook her head at his lack of manners and began gathering the sugar containers to fill them all in preparation for the next shift.

When she finally got to leave an hour later, Josie didn't see Happy sitting on his bike in a shadowed corner of the lot. Nor did she see his incredulous face as she straddled her bike and guided it off the lot and toward home.


	3. Testing the Water

_Thanks for all the great reviews. I love them! _

The morning dawned like most Saturday mornings at the clubhouse. By midmorning, light filtered in through the single window, jaundiced and sickly from the layer of nicotine coating the glass. The blonde that had been willing to be taken face down the night before had worn some sort of cotton candy smelling lotion, and Happy sneered when he blinked awake surrounded by the stench of too sweet spun sugar mixed with sex. Making a mental note to make the squirrely prospect strip the sheets, he shuffled into the shower, knowing that he was one of the first to be awake and was guaranteed to have as much hot water as he wanted.

Once he was clean, he stretched a white t-shirt over his chest and stomped into his boots. Happy pulled on his cut on the way out the door in search of a cup of coffee and maybe one of Bobby's muffins. The older man had missed his calling as a baker, and Happy made it a point to get as much of his good shit as he could whenever he was in Charming.

He was working his way through a banana nut muffin and a second cup of coffee, chuckling as Chibs came awake under some mostly naked blonde and Tig stumbled his way down the hall to slump against the bar, when Clay strode through the front door. "What's up, Prez?"

"Need you to make a run up to Reno. Jury's dealing with some shit."

"Mayans?" Happy was already mentally packing, making a note to pick up some ammo from the storeroom.

"Yeah." Clay nodded, his hands resting on his hips. "The assholes are coming in to some of his clubs and harassing the strippers and customers. Costing him a lot of money."

"I got it covered, Prez."

Clay grinned and reached for the coffee he hadn't had to order the prospect to pour for him. "That's what I told him."

Chibs, having worked his way out from under the sweetbutt and thrown her shirt over her still naked back, stepped up to the bar. "Need some company, brutha?"

"Couldn't hurt," Clay spoke for the other man.

Tig blinked bloodshot eyes at the others. "Want me there?"

"You're kidding, right?" Clay chuckled. "We want a message, not a bloodbath. You and Hap get together on a job, and things get real violent, real quick."

Turning to Happy and Chibs, Clay continued. "Get in, take care of the issue, maybe send a message if you get the chance, and get back here. Don't want our numbers too low with us bringing all the guns up to Blue Bird soon."

The two men agreed and were on the road two hours later.

Waiting for traffic to clear at an intersection near the diner outside Lockeford, Happy caught sight of a blue and black Harley sitting beside Sally's and frowned. What was Josie doing at work this early in the morning?

"Could go for a coffee, brutha." Chibs called over the rumbling of their engines. "Didn't get fed 'fore we left, and can't do shite 'bout the Mayans 'til after dark anyway."

Nodding, Happy led the way down to the restaurant and into the lot.

The diner was busy at nearly noon. The breakfast rush always blended into the lunch crowd on weekends, and Josie was covering for Debbie, who was needed to decorate for her daughter's bridal shower. She and the new girl, Lisa, were rushing through their tables as quickly as they could, carrying plates for people stopping in after yard sales or before heading into Lodi or Stockton for some shopping.

The opening of the door had the brunette groaning as they stood filling drink orders. "Bikers. Oh, joy."

Glancing up, Josie grinned. "It's cool. I'll take them if you take that table with the baby."

"Deal!" Lisa obviously knew the couple with the chubby cheeked little boy, so Josie felt it was a fair trade.

Josie loaded up her tray and smiled as she placed two coffees down in front of the two leather clad men sitting in a booth not far from Happy's usual table. "Be right with you guys!"

Chibs glanced at their cups and grinned up at the other man. "Come here a lot?"

"Sometimes." Happy tracked Josie as she turned this way and that, delivering drinks and smiles as she went. "Good burgers."

"Yeah, okay."

When Happy looked at his friend, the other man was smirking and looking over the menu. "What?"

Before Chibs could answer, Josie's flared uniform skirt brushed against Happy's arm. Her bare knee was inches from his jean-clad thigh, and Happy fought the urge to run his knuckles over the skin there. Even harried and slightly breathless, there was a calmness that surrounded her, and Happy felt himself relax just a little bit against the seat back. He noticed Chibs rest himself just slightly easier as well.

"Hi ya'll," Josie grinned. "How're we doin' this morning?"

"I'm doin' jus' fine, now that I have somethin' so pretty to look a'." Chibs let his eyes trail over her, grinning openly when Happy narrowed his eyes in warning.

"Uh huh," Josie rolled her eyes to help counteract her blush at the scarred man's harmless flirting. "You behave yourself."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Snorting, Josie turned her attention to the more familiar of the two men. "He's always like this, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, at least I know I'm not all that special."

Chibs chuckled. "Gotta dangle your hook if your ta catch a fish, love."

Josie's eyebrows flew up her forehead and she gave him a look of mock worry. "You keep your danglers to yourself, and we'll be fine."

Once their chuckled died down, she looked over the two men. "Are we doing lunch or breakfast?"

"I'll take my usual." Happy jerked his chin across the table. "No clue what he's doin'."

"I'll take the logger's breakfast."

Josie shook her head, wondering where this guy was going to stuff five pancakes, three eggs, two each of sausage and bacon, and some biscuits with gravy. "I'll get this right in and be back with some more coffee."

Chibs waited until she was nearly back to the station before opening grinning at his glowering brother. "She's cute.'

"Yeah."

"C'mon, man, ya've gotta give me more 'n tha'! You getting' a taste or not?"

"Not." Happy growled.

Chuckling, Chibs chanced one last comment before Josie arrived with refills. "Not yet, you mean?"

"Leave it alone."

"Well, if you're not gonna give it a serious go, mind if I get a taste?"

Happy couldn't stop either the growl, or his hand from reaching out to clasp his forearm. "Fuck you."

"Sorry brutha." Chibs quieted and eased back slowly. "Didn't know it was like that with her."

Happy was torn. On one hand, he wanted to reach across the table to punch Chibs for his teasing. On the other, he was almost enjoying being the recipient of teasing barbs over a girl. He remembered how he had given some of his brothers a lot of shit for taking a steady girl over the years. It almost felt like another milestone.

When their food came, the two ate quickly. Chibs got another chuckle when a piece of apple pie was placed without comment beside Happy's nearly empty plate by a grinning Josie. If the Scotsman noticed Happy scrawl his number on a napkin and leave it with the tip, he didn't say anything.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Jury was glad to see the two men, greeting them with brotherly hugs and affectionate slaps on the back. He had tried everything within the means of his club to deal with the Mayans coming into his clubs, but was unable to stem the problem. The Devil's Tribe didn't have an enforcer on the level of Happy or Chibs. Working mostly as bookies and with strip joints had made the men softer.

Knowing that the Mayans controlled all of Northern California and Nevada, Happy was given orders to take out their local clubhouse. Happy thought a few molotov cocktails should do the job nicely. Chibs was going along to be his backup and the getaway driver.

The two men moved quickly once club members stationed at the strip clubs owned by Jury and his men began calling in sightings of the other MC's members. They arrived outside the high fence surrounding the Mayan clubhouse at 1 o'clock. They knew there would be a few members still inside the black painted walls, but also knew that those inside would most likely be in the bar at the front of the building. The goal was to send a message and mess with them, not to kill.

Not tonight, anyway.

Directing Chibs to wait at the end of an alley a block away, Happy knew they would have a straight getaway along the backstreets as long as nothing got in their way. Counting on confusion and fear to give him the upper hand in escaping, he grabbed the large bag he had stuffed with supplies before they left the Tribe clubhouse from the trunk. Giving Chibs a nod, he jogged down the alley and along the back of several businesses, closed this late at night and not planning on being open on the Sabbath.

Sidling up to the windows of the dorm rooms, Happy listened closely before using his knife to slice through the screens and then jimmying open the sliding glass one by one. He skipped those rooms from which he heard movement or voices. Lining up the bottles half full of kerosene, he began lighting the rags stuffed into their necks and throwing them through the now open windows. When the screaming started, Happy grinned ferociously.

Seven men and three women in various states of dress flooded from the front doors just as Happy was running down the alley to the waiting car. A series of loud pops sounded behind him, and he was certain that he was being shot at until he dove into the car and looked out the back window. No one was behind him, and he grinned triumphantly.

"Fire must've reached some ammo!" Happy laughed loudly as Chibs drove carefully along the alley, taking pains to not appear as if the two of them were heading away from the scene of a crime.

Behind them, the night air was alight with the orange glow of fire, and it was almost peaceful before an explosion rocked the surrounding buildings.

"The fuck was that?!" Chibs looked in the rearview and side mirrors, but was obviously unable to see.

"Not a damn clue!" Happy crowed another laugh as the two made their way back across town to the Devil's Tribe home base.

It was nearly 6 o'clock in the morning by the time Happy was finding his way into a borrowed bed in the clubhouse just outside Reno. He hadn't eaten since the diner, being too busy dealing with the Mayan problem. He could smell the acrid stench of kerosene and fire wafting from where he had dumped his pants in the corner as he came in, and he was glad he had packed another pair. When his phone beeped with a new text message, he groaned and debated ignoring it – text were reserved for the more mundane things – for a minute before groping along the bedside table for the little silver device.

_I'm hoping this is Happy and not the one I don't know – Josie_

Happy chuckled, glad that he had forced himself to move. Taking a moment, he saved her number before answering. _Yeah, it's me. _

"_Me" as in Happy, or "me" as in the other one? What are you doing awake already? – J_

Happy chuckled. Smartass little bitch. _Happy. More like still awake. Was just getting ready to crash. Why are you awake?_

The answer came quickly. _Couldn't sleep. A/Cs busted, and it's too hot in my bedroom. Decided to just give up. Going for a run soon._

_By yourself? _Happy didn't like the idea of Josie being out so early all alone. It was still dark, and she was probably going to be in the country somewhere. He didn't know where she lived, but most of the area surrounding Lockeford was covered in trees or miles of quiet vineyards. Either one had lots of places a pretty little girl like her could go missing or get hurt.

_I'll be fine. Going to wear real clothes and everything._

While Happy appreciated knowing that she wasn't going running nearly naked, he still frowned. _Stay home._

_I'm not going to sit at home for no reason, Happy. I go running around here a few times a week._

Happy growled. _ At least wait until it's light out._

_It's light enough. Going to be out for a while anyway. I run for miles, not minutes._

_Woman, you need a man to keep you in line and make you listen. _Happy was giving the phone in his grip a glare that had made grown men wet themselves in fear.

Minutes passed before Josie answered. _A man like you?_

Happy didn't respond, but he fell asleep clutching the prepay in one hand.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Josie examined herself in the mirror later that evening, debating with herself over the length of her reddish blonde waves and curls. Reaching to mid thigh, it tended to billow out around her if left unrestrained. She knew, however, that it would curl tightly and frizz if she hacked it off anywhere around her shoulder blades. Deciding to leave the thought for a time when she wasn't going out, she twisted a few locks of hair at her temples back from her face and went on with applying some light makeup.

One of her friends was getting married and, in the tradition of women wanting their friends to like their man, had asked Josie to join her and her new fiancé for dinner that evening. Josie wasn't thrilled at using her night off to play nice, Monica had been a good friend since Josie had relocated to California five years prior. Monica's boyfriend, Daniel, was a lawyer and a good man for her friend, so Josie was hoping to find some common ground.

The memory of a raspy laugh had her sighing before she shook herself and began applying her eyeshadow. "Oh, get a grip girl. So his voice is amazing and he's attractive. You've dealt with attractive before."

_**Attractive?! **__That man is sex on legs! _That quiet mental voice refused to be silent, and Josie wondered again if this was a good idea, of if she should just stay in and try to talk to him some more. _No. Call and beg off._

"But it's been a while since I've gone out, and it's not like Happy responded to my flirting at all."

_Bitch, does he __**look **__like the kind of guy who flirts?!_

"Well, he looks like the kind of guy who would say something if he were interested."

Forcing herself not to think, Josie finished getting ready before forming four braids and the base of her skull and coiling them all around before pinning them in place. This resulted in a style that looked far more complicated than it actually was. Threading a hair stick through the base gave the illusion that it was holding the whole mass in place.

With a final appraisal, she deemed her favorite Lees, cowgirl boots, and off the shoulder peasant blouse good enough for a casual dinner. Grabbing her phone, keys, and ID, Josie secured her door behind her and headed out to wait for Monica and Daniel on her front porch.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Not even an hour later, she was feeling completely out of place and ready to call the evening over with. There had been an unexpected hitch in her evening plans. Daniel had brought along his best friend, and soon to be best man, Ryan.

_I should've __**known **__it was a setup as soon as Monica said they would pick me up! _Now, she was stuck here listening to the three of them discuss some corporate merger and fending off unwanted advances.

Ryan Brian was the worst kind of person. He was a bore who found himself to be highly witty and entertaining. His looks were mediocre at best, though he kept feathering his prematurely thinning blond hair back from his forehead and had even given Josie advice on toning and moisturizing her face!

For the last 45 minutes, she had picked at the pathetic bits of salad and steak that passed as portions in the chichi little café the others had chosen and tried to smile through the discomfort and boredom. Thinking of the three decent bars on this street alone, Josie longed for a thick burger or an order of beer battered wings. Hell, pizza would have been excellent.

_Happy wouldn't be caught dead in this place. He'd take me for pizza and a beer._

"So, Josephine," Ryan had insisted on calling her by her full name all evening. "Monica tells me you ride a motorcycle?"

"Yes, I quite enjoy riding. It's very freeing to be on the open road." Josie began twisting her napkin in her lap, praying that this would all be over soon. When the waiter stopped by for empty plates, she sent hers away as well.

"But you aren't poor, nor do you present yourself like white trash."

Josie felt her eyes bulge. "Well, I should hope not!"

"Then why would you ride a motorcycle? It doesn't seem very ladylike."

"And that does it." Turning to Monica and Daniel, both of whom looked extremely embarrassed, Josie mustered a demure smile. "I'll be seeing myself home now. I'm sorry I wasn't much for company this evening, but hopefully we'll be able to get together soon when the table won't be so . . . crowded."

Without another word, Josie stood from her seat and strode purposefully from the restaurant.

Just as she neared the corner, the rumbling of a bike drew her attention. Ashamed of the way her heart gave a jump and her palms became clammy, Josie couldn't help but look over her shoulder. When the familiar rider pulled up next to her and killed his engine, she smiled.

Happy had most definitely _not _been driving around Lockeford in the hopes of seeing Josie or her bike. He had simply stopped in the diner for dinner, saw that she wasn't there, and lost his appetite. He may have doubled back through the small town once or twice, but that was to enjoy the local scenery in the growing dark. When he saw her striding from some froufrou café like she was pissed at the world, he chuckled and aimed to intercept her before she reached the corner. The smile she gave him made him glad he was sitting down.

"Hey!" Josie tried to tone herself down, but was just too thrilled at seeing him so unexpectedly. "What've you been up to?"

"Had a run up to Reno."

Josie nodded. "Club business?"

"Yeah," Jerking his head back toward the restaurant, he frowned. "Bad date?"

She snorted derisively. "Yeah."

"Told you not to be dating assholes and dickweeds."

"Didn't know it was supposed to be a date until I got here with my friend and her fiancé."

Glowering dangerously, Happy stood straddling the bike. "He try something?"

"No, nothing like that." Josie shook her head and laid a calming hand on Happy's tensed forearm, unable to ignore the coiled strength just under her fingertips. "Just a complete ass. No clue why they thought I would like him."

"Need a ride?"

"You don't mind?"

Brows lowered, he focused on her face. "Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't willing to do it."

Sliding on behind him, Josie gripped his sides before he set a consistent speed. Once that happened, she eased up and just let him drive. Using mostly hand signals and a few directions spoken loudly in his ear, she was able to guide him out of town and up into the hills where she owned a small home.

Having used the time to work up her courage, she let her hip rest against his knee while she looked him in the eye and bit her lip before speaking. "Want to come in for something to eat?"

Happy smirked and slowly rose to his feet. Just as he was about to answer her, his phone began to ring. Growling, he leaned back to answer it and she stepped away a bit.

"What?"

Tig's voice was clipped and angry. "Blue Bird just blew. How far out are you?"

"Can be there in 25."

"Hurry, man, we got Church." Tig didn't wait for a response, just simply hung up.

Cursing, Happy turned to Josie. "I'll take a raincheck on that."

She smiled in understanding and gave him a nod. "Go take care of your club. I'll see you at the diner?"

With a nod and a wave, Happy was gone.


	4. Out With the Old

_This ones just a bit longer than the last 3. Settling into the story now, I suppose. Let me know what you think, even if it's not all sunshine and roses! (Just don't be mean, k?)_

Sunday morning dawned hot and humid, the air inside Josie's cabin a sticky weight against her chest, as she pushed herself up to sit on the edge of her bed. Yawning big enough to pop her jaw, she stripped off the nearly threadbare cotton nightgown she favored during the summer on her way to take a lukewarm shower. The repairman had promised to be there early the next morning, and Josie swore death upon him if he failed to do something about the failing air conditioning unit.

After a shower and shave, Josie folded a towel around her hair and let it rest down her spine, while she applied some blush, light eye shadow, and peach tinted lip gloss. Slipping into a matching bra and panty set in lilac satin and lace, she smiled to herself. Lacy, pretty lingerie was one of the grand things about being a woman, as far as she was concerned, and she indulged in it often. A sky blue sundress hung from her shoulders, a simple tie under her chest giving it some form. The skirt fluttered and twirled around her ankles lightly as she walked.

Knowing the church would be chilly due to the underworked and overeager air conditioning, she decided to leave her hair down. Clipping the top layer back at the crown, she simply detangled and combed the rest and let it do what it wanted. Finishing off the outfit with a pair of her dressier brown sandals, she scooped her Bible up from the bedside table and climbed into her old GMC truck.

Service was good, though Josie wasn't so sure she liked the new pastor as much as the older man who used to lead the congregation. Reverend Michel Harvok was a young man with jet black hair and pretty amber eyes. He used his voice and inflection well enough to inspire and enlighten, though Josie didn't appreciate the way he tried to use his dimples on the female population. She seemed to be in the minority on this last issue, was not a ranking member of the church body, and was not given the opportunity to vote on the candidates who had applied and interviewed for the position.

"Hey, Josie May," Monica stopped her before she could get in her truck after the service. "Did you want to go for lunch?"

"Well, I suppose that depends."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Monica sighed dramatically. "It'd just be the two of us, I swear."

"Alright, then." Josie gritted her teeth against the urge to tell her friend to stop behaving like a teenager. "Where did you want to meet?"

"I know you still insist on working there, but would Sally's be okay? It's my cheat day, and I'd really love a burger and milkshake."

"Sure, that'd be great." Josie furrowed her brows and watched Monica's size four hips as they swayed over to her tiny new red convertible.

The lunch rush that occurred after church at Sally's was always insane, and Josie was happy she wouldn't have to report in for work until 3:00. That gave her almost four hours of down time between services and work to do what she wanted. She was quickly realizing that she may need that time to formulate some sort of we're-not-friends-anymore speech to the brunette who sat across the table picking at her food.

"I'm not going to agree to see him again, Monica."

"Why not?! Why won't you even give him a chance?" Monica's perfectly plum pout was negated by the hard glint in her eyes. "Ryan thinks you're pretty, and just loves your accent. It's not his fault he isn't very good at talking to women. He went to an all boy boarding school! It didn't exactly teach him how to talk to women while he was growing up."

"You'd think he'd understand that insulting people isn't the way to get them to like you at least." Josie let Debbie take her empty plate with a smile of thanks. "Also, I can't help that I'm not attracted to him at all."

"Why? Because he knows how to dress and takes care of himself?" Tossing her last fry back on her plate, Monica snatched her shake and slumped against the red vinyl behind her.

"He probably spends more time in front of the mirror than both of us combined!" Josie snorted a laugh. "Waaaaay too concerned with how he looks."

"Not like that trashy biker who picked you up on the street like some common hooker last night, right?"

"What?!"

Monica's smile was full of malice. "Daniel went to see if you needed a ride home, as you no doubt knew he would, and saw it all. I just don't know why you insisted on embarrassing me **twice **in one short evening."

"Happy is a semi-regular customer here. He saw me walking and stopped to say hi. When he realized I was going to walk home, he offered me a ride."

"His name is **Happy**?!" Monica rolled her eyes and sneered. "Some kind of gang name, I'm sure. Daniel said – he waited 'til we were alone, as he didn't want to spread gossip – but he said that man was wearing one of those vests for the Sons of Anarchy!"

"It's called a cut, and what does that matter to you if he's in a motorcycle club? It's his life."

"And he's dragging you into it!" Monica frowned and continued before she could answer. "And how do you know what it's called?"

"I don't know, I guess I just heard it somewhere." Josie shook her head. "And he isn't **dragging** me into anything. Happy doesn't seem like the type to force a woman to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"I am going to marry a man who may very well end up in the Senate before he's forty. I cannot afford to spend time with a woman who would allow herself to become some common biker chick."

"Well, bless your heart! I didn't realize you were so worried about what I do with my life. Maybe you should find someone else to be your Maid of Honor." Josie frowned. "Even if I'm not dating Happy, I still ride my Harley nearly every day and refuse to tailor my life to suit someone else's needs. I am who I am."

"That's it, then?" Monica fished enough money out of her small clutch to pay for her half of the bill and a meager tip, tossing it carelessly on the table.

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

With a stiff nod, Monica stood and strode from the diner without a backward glance.

Josie waited long enough for her former friend to have left the lot before she stood and did the same. It was going to be a long day, and she wanted to get through the grocery store before she went home to change for work. She decided a pint of Ben & Jerry's would keep her company when she got home later.

Breakups of all sorts always sucked.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Happy had sat in the clubhouse chapel most of the morning listening to the debate on what to do about the Mayans and the women who had died when the factory blew up around them. He figured it was simple: Find the guns, take them back, and kill whatever stupid assholes were in the way. Clay seemed to think along the same lines, and everyone agreed that they would do just that as soon as Juice worked some of his computer magic and found out where the bastards had hidden them.

Sunday evenings were quiet around the clubhouse, and this one was moreso than usual. Jax's soon-to-be ex-wife had been rushed to the hospital and his baby son was delivered ten weeks early via C-section. Those members with children at home were there with them. Others, like Bobby and Tig, chose to drown their feelings in alcohol and the free pussy that ran nearly naked around the club members. At least Tig had given him a good fight before calling it a night with three of the more experienced Croweaters.

Happy indulged in one of Piney's superior joints as he kicked back on his bunk and reached for his prepay. Rereading the conversation he had taken part in with Josie a few nights ago, he felt a grin tug at his lips and wanted to punch himself for how stupid he must look. He ought to go back out to the bar and see if there wasn't some bitch around to get him off before he started thinking that Josie was the only one he wanted.

He couldn't stop thinking about the tiny redhead, however, and just kept looking over their conversation with a growing sense of pleasure. He hadn't been sure if she had been flirting with him over the texts, but she had touched him and stood close to him while biting her lip all innocent like the night before. Hell, she had asked him in with an offer of food. Nice girls like her didn't just do shit like that for no reason. So, she either needed something or she liked him.

If she only needed to get laid, he could certainly help with that.

If she wanted to be something more than a night of really great sex to him, he was starting to see that he wouldn't hate that either.

It would be strange trying to figure out how to have an Old Lady, but other guys in the club had them. Hell, some of them were even married to women who knew every detail of what they did for the club. It seemed like they were happier than the ones who had no idea what was going on. Happy was 35, and he knew Josie wasn't anywhere close to that, but she needed someone who could watch out for her and make sure she was taken care of. Yeah, she needed someone who knew what they were doing, and knew what to do with a strong, good girl like her.

His mom had been a strong woman while he was growing up, and she was the best example of a 'good' woman he could ever think of. Gemma was another strong woman, though she could be conniving if it suited her. He figured both had their bad sides, though he tended to overlook his mother's gentle way of manipulating situations and people to her advantage. That's how women worked, as far as Happy could tell.

Before he thought better of the idea, his fingers were pressing buttons and hitting 'send'. _Was getting ready to turn in, but wanted to make sure I didn't have to come give you a ride somewhere. Any surprise dates going on tonight?_

Twenty miles and a world away, Josie giggled into her Karamel Sutra._ Hahaha. Aren't you funny? No surprise dates for me. I'm hanging with my two favorite guys this early morning. _

_WHO? _Happy growled and looked at his clock. Who could she be with at nearly 2AM?

Feeling her eyebrows shoot up in surprise at how well Happy's tone could travel over text, Josie quickly explained._ Ben & Jerry. Eating ice cream and watching Sons of Guns. They're making a .50 cal. into a shoulder mount._

_Oh, cool. Those guys are good._

_. . . . Were you just jealous?_

Happy chuckled. Couldn't get anything by her. _Why? Did you want me to be?_

_Maybe just a little. _

What? That made little to no sense to him. Happy knew he was scary when he was pissed off and didn't think Josie would want that aimed at her._ Oh yeah? Why would you want me to be jealous?_

Josie took a calming breath and decided to just go for it. It wasn't like it would be the end of the world if he didn't return her feelings._ Because I like you, and you being jealous means you don't want me seeing some other guy. _

And there it was in black and white. Josie liked him and was able to just put it out there. Damn the consequences. Happy suddenly felt as if this were a defining moment in his life. If he ignored this or blew her off now, there would be no going back. If he admitted feeling something for her, then she would expect something from him.

Was he ready to give that to her?

_I've got plans for you, little girl. _There. That wasn't so bad. Not too sappy or stupid, but still letting her know that he thought of her.

There was a tingle along Josie's spine as she thought about what kinds of plans a man like Happy could concoct._ Would these be short or long term?_

Nodding, he thought that was a pretty fair question. He slid to lie down before answering. _Both._

_Are they good plans?_

Happy groaned._ Oh yeah, they're real good._

The next response from Josie was a picture that showed up in their conversation, and Happy fumbled the phone when he recognized what he was looking at. There was a line of light purple satin to one side, obviously a bra strap, because scalloped lace – again in the same purple – curved over the swell of a perfectly formed breast. There was no naked flesh, and not even a full cup of her bra was shown, but it was all the more impactful because of what it lacked.

_Jesus Christ, girl! Tryin to get me to drive up there tonight?!_

Josie began to wonder if she was ever going to stop giggling at the way he responded to her flirtations._ No. Just giving you something to plan around. _

Before Happy could respond, a bunch of letters showed up on his screen. Puzzled, he spent a moment trying to figure out what it was she had meant to say.

_Sorry! Got ice cream on the keys and had to clean it off. _

Again, Happy found himself chuckling. _What the hell are you doing eating ice cream at 2 AM anyway?_

_Bad breakups call for it. Don't blame me, I didn't make the rules. _

_Thought you said you didn't have an Old Man?_

Sighing, Josie realized that they were both sitting around doing nothing but texting each other. Deciding that they were being stupid, hit the button to call him. She clinched her fist against the urge to hang up before he could answer.

"Yeah?" Happy's voice held a note of unease and uncertainty that was foreign to him. At least he hadn't barked his usual 'what?' at her.

Josie sighed and snuggled back on the couch, ice cream in hand and phone placed on speaker where it sat on her knee. "Thought this would be easier than texting everything out."

"Maybe. You tellin' me you have an Old Man now?"

"No, I don't have an Old Man. Never have. Monica and I had a fight earlier about me not living my life the way she thought I should. Losing a friend sucks."

He really had no clue how to respond to that. People were either there or they weren't. He wasn't sure that he had ever felt a major connection to anyone other than his mother. Thinking about it, though, he realized that he would feel something if Tig or Kozik – the two men he spent most of his free time with – were to decide that they weren't going to talk to him.

"That must suck."

Josie's inelegant snort of laughter drew a chuckle from Happy's throat in response. "I know, I know. I'm talking to a man about **feelings**. Such a bad idea."

"We're not so good at this shit. Sorry.'

"Nah, it's okay. Just needed to explain why I might be a bit pissy or mopey for the next few days. Didn't want you dropping by the diner and thinking I had a problem with you."

"That's cool." Wondering if he was going to regret asking, Happy drew a breath. "What was her problem, anyway?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Her fiancé was following me to offer a lift home when he saw me getting on your bike. He wants to be a Senator, and she didn't think she could hang out with someone getting dragged into being a biker chick." Josie rolled her eyes at the memory of that conversation. "She's always been a little pretentious, but nothing as bad as she's gotten in the last few months."

"She wanted you with that asshole you were getting away from."

"Right in one." Finishing the last of her treat, Josie turned off the television and cleaned up her mess, tossing her spoon in the sink before heading down the hall. Doubling back, she locked her front door and flipped off the light on her front porch. "Don't know why she thought I would like some idiot who spends more time getting ready to go out than I do. She just **hates **the idea of you."

"I have that effect on people."

Switching the phone off of speaker, Josie slid into bed. "Nah, I like the idea of you just fine."

"Might not once you know me." Happy frowned at the truth in his own words. "I could be bad for you."

"Mmmm. . . You might be bad, but I don't think you'd be bad for me."

"Trusting, aren't you."

"Nope, just a pretty good judge of character."

Happy chuckled. "We'll see about that."

Josie sighed as her back and legs relaxed against the pillow top mattress. "Am I gonna see you this week?"

"Maybe. Got some shit goin' down over here." Happy grew quiet as he heard a rustling over the line. "What are you doing?"

"Stupid air conditioning is still broken and now the sheet's too warm to be under."

This got his attention, and he leered in the darkness of his own room. "Are you seriously getting in bed right now?"

"Oh, hush. It's 2:30 in the morning, and I'm tired."

"Why? Already got an idea of what you're wearing."

Fighting the warm feeling Happy's rasp caused to form in the pit of her stomach, Josie giggled. "Just don't go showing that one off to people."

"Hell no! That's my shit right there."

Not fighting the contented sound his words drew from her chest, she snuggled down into her pillow. "Gotta get some sleep, hun."

"Yeah, you do that."

"Night Happy." When he simply grunted and ended the call, Josie grinned and hugged a pillow to her chest until she drifted off moments later.


	5. Undercover

_Hello Sweeties! (If you get the reference, we're friends.) Reviews are love, and I love you. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm messing with the timeline a bit here and there, though events are happening in the same order so far._

Josie nearly skipped into work the next afternoon with the memory of her late night phone call playing in her head. It wasn't until she was nearly to the wait station that she realized how quiet the restaurant was for the normally busting lunch hour. Debbie was busy rolling silverware with shaking hands and pinched lips.

Grasping Josie's wrist, she pulled her into the corner where they kept the napkins and extra ketchups and whispered angrily. "Are those friends of yours?"

"What? Who?" Josie had to crane her neck to just barely make out three tables of men sitting along the far wall. They seemed to be of Mexican descent, and all wore leather or black denim cuts. The patch on the back was one she recognized, though she didn't know them personally. Mayans rode through from time to time, but so did a few other MCs.

Shaking her head at the older woman and wondering where their bikes were, there were only a few vans and the normal cars in the lot, Josie kept her voice low. "No, they aren't. Why would you think they were?"

"Oh, thank God." Rubbing her fingers over the cross necklace she wore every day, Debbie sagged against the counter. "Well, I know you're friendly with that tattooed one who comes in sometimes."

"Happy isn't with them. If they're causing problems…"

"No, nothing like that. They're just sitting there being creepy. Said they weren't hungry just yet. Wouldn't even order drinks."

"Well, let them be for a while. They'll figure out what they're going to do and let us know." Noticing that most of the men were staring out the window, she shrugged. "Maybe they're waiting on someone."

"What if they decide to rob the diner?" Debbie's eyes bugged as if the possibility had just dawned on her.

Josie snorted. "Then we give them the money. It's not like it's ours, and I'm not fighting over it."

Nodding, Debbie straightened Josie's nametag and then her own hair before she went to take care of her other tables. While the Mayans were taking up three tables (none of them booths), there were four other groups scattered around the brightly lit diner. Josie wasn't surprised that the others were talking quietly and taking great pains to avoid the tattooed and dangerous men.

After preparing a fresh pot of regular coffee, Josie tied her apron around her waist, put on her most winning smile, and began making her rounds. The bikers all seemed to perk up and pay attention as she neared their tables, though none moved to speak to her. It wasn't until two more leather clad men roared onto the lot astride Harleys and walked through the door that the men at the tables began talking animatedly amongst themselves.

"Excuse me."

Josie looked up from the decaf filter she was placing in the machine to see a younger man speaking to her. "Yes sir?"

"My father wanted me to let you know that we will all be ready to order soon."

"Of course! Would you like me to come and take drink orders while you look over the menu?"

"That would be great, thanks."

Though something about his smile put her on edge, Josie shook Debbie's concerned look off and went to take the orders of the twelve men crowded around three tables. She knew she was better prepared to deal with the challenges this group would present. Debbie was a good friend, and great waitress, and one of the best mothers Josie had ever known, but she was soft, somehow, and believed that the world should operate like an old Cary Grant movie. These men had probably already sent the woman's heart aflutter, and Josie didn't want to contribute to a full blown fit.

Steeling herself for whatever was to come, Josie readied her pen and looked at each man as he ordered a drink. When one of them flicked the hem of her skirt, she pretended not to notice. When some of the club members began speaking in rapid Spanish, she kept her face carefully neutral and a bit confused so they wouldn't realize that she knew what they were saying. After retrieving their sodas and two iced teas, she took food orders and made sure each was correct as she later carted them to the waiting bikers.

"Everything look okay? Does anyone need refills?"

Glancing at his father's glass, the same young man from before shook his head. "No, we're good."

Nodding, Josie excused herself and let Debbie know she had to visit the restroom. Once inside, she slid into a stall and pulled her cell phone from her apron pocket. Moving quickly, she dialed Happy.

**Happy**

Happy stood beside a work bench in the Teller-Morrow garage. Clay, Tig, Chibs, and Opie had joined him to watch as Jax and Juice presented their findings and suspicions about Marcus Alvarez and the stolen guns. There were two places the Mayans used to cut and package their heroin, but Tig made the point that they wouldn't take the chance of storing the stolen M4s in the same place as the narcotics. That left three storage facilities miles apart that would have to be searched within minutes of each other, as any guards would alert the others quickly.

When his prepay began ringing, Happy frowned and glanced at the screen. Sending Josie to voicemail felt strange, but he knew she would understand that club business came before social calls. The second call was also ignored. By the third, the other men began to look annoyed.

Chibs sighed. "Better answer your girlie."

Jax made a choking sound. "Hap's got a girl?"

"Like a breathing one?" Tig looked scandalized.

"Shut up," Happy growled and flipped the phone open. "What?!"

"Don't bark at me like that."

Josie's voice was reedy and strange, jerking Happy to attention. "What's up?"

"There are twelve Mayans having lunch in the diner. They don't know I can understand what they're saying."

Forcing himself to remain calm, Happy realized that he was the unwilling center of attention. "So feed them lunch and try to lay low. No big deal."

"Are you guys missing some guns?"

Her hurried words drew him up short. Hitting the button to make their conversation public, he sat the phone next to the maps on the table. "You're on speaker with everyone important. Talk."

"Um, hello." Josie was nervous, and Happy saw the others grin as her thick southern drawl began to float out of the speaker. "There are twelve Mayans in the dining room of Sally's Diner. The President and his son are the only ones who rode their bikes here. The rest came in big black vans.

"They don't know I can speak Spanish, so they haven't been watching what they say. They're talking about guns they've hidden in San Leandro."

"How'd you know they took something that belonged to us, Sweetheart?" Clay grinned at Tig as Happy shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't know anyone else they would call _Los Ninos de Anarquia_."

Juice and Jax were pulling out a printout and a map of San Leandro, whispering to each other and pointing at different spots. They knew where the guns were stored. Opie looked the map over and nodded, knowing he would be in charge of setting the explosives.

"Also, they said something about having people at the place where they have your stuff. Don't know how many or anything like that."

Jax sighed. "Thanks, Darlin. That's a big help."

"You sound like a pretty little thing," Tig chuckled and made kissy faces at his friend.

Chibs laughed, "Aye, that she is, brutha."

"Oh, hello again." Josie's voice was stronger as she spoke to the flirtatious Scotsman. "And thank you."

Before any of the men could respond, a muffled second voice could be heard over the line and Josie sighed. "I'll be right out."

"Have to get back out there, guys."

Clay nodded absentmindedly. "Give us a call if they say anything else."

"Let me know when they leave." Happy's voice was a growl of pure malice, and he hoped she knew he wasn't pissed at her. He just needed confirmation that the other men were gone and she was okay.

"Will do. Bye." And, just like that, Josie was gone.

"So. . . " Tig's grin was full of a joyous light that no one was foolish enough to believe was innocent.

"No." Happy looked to Clay for instructions as to how the evening was to unfold, but found only an ornery grin on the older man's face.

Clay chuckled. "When did you get a girl? And why hasn't she been to a party?"

Happy bristled. "She ain't my girl, and she ain't like that."

Chibs nodded and chuckled as he lit a smoke. "Wha' he **means**, is that she ain't his girl **yet**, and she def'nitly isn't a club girl."

"Yeah?" Juice smiled just a bit as Happy did his damnedest to glower a hole through the young hacker's head. "Hap's got a good girl?"

"A **reeeeal **Southern Lady type." Dropping his teasing smirk, Chibs focused on his brother. "She's smart, brutha'. Listenin' and actin' like she ain't."

Happy silently nodded and was glad when the others fell to planning the mission. He would finish this meeting and then go have a drink with Tig. His prepay wouldn't leave his hands until he had heard from Josie. He told himself he'd wait an hour and then set out for Lockeford if he still hadn't heard from her.

**Josie**

After finding excuses to stay around for an extra hour, Debbie left just after the last of the Mayans pulled off the lot. She had extracted promises from Big John to look after Josie more carefully than usual, and had patted the younger woman on the cheek as she left. Josie looked around the now empty restaurant and texted Happy quickly before moving to bus the tables.

She wasn't surprised when, barely twenty minutes after texting him, Happy rolled his bike onto the lot. She was a bit confused by the group of men that followed, and why all of them thought they needed to accompany Happy to check up on her. When they began loudly asking Happy what they should eat, and what he preferred, she rolled her eyes in understanding.

If they wanted to tease Happy about her, that was fine. She wasn't going to help them.

She had just enough time to duck behind the wait station and straighten her apron before adjusting her bra for maximum impact. When the door opened, she affected an unsuspecting air as she came around the corner checking her order pad and pen. Looking up, she flashed Happy her most brilliant, welcoming smile.

"Hi!" Josie moved closer to Happy, uncertain of proper protocol in front of these men. When he draped an arm over her shoulder and hauled her against his chest, she let her hand rest there for a moment before drawing back to look at the others. "Ya'll come for a little dinner?"

"Thought we'd come see what Hap's been hiding, and I must say that you **are **a treat." The man's dark hair spun out from his head in unruly curls and his blue eyes held a frenetic light that Josie wasn't sure she could trust.

"Well, ain't you just sweet?" Josie knew her warm smile was working its magic on most of the group, but was a little unsure of a few.

"Hey Happy," an older man with grey hair spoke from his spot beside Happy. "You gonna introduce us?

Pointing, he began leading her through the gathered men. "This Clay, he's our Prez. Jax is VP. There's Tig, Chibs, Opie, Bobby, and Juice."

"Josephine, but ya'll can call me Josie." She shook Clay's hand and waved to the rest before Happy guided her to a table and sank into a chair. She perched primly on his knee and smiled as Chibs winked encouragingly.

It was decided that the men would stay to eat, so she took their order from her seat and then flounced away to gather drinks. It was an easy dinner, with Josie returning to Happy's knee between fetching refills and second orders of burgers or fries. Only a few eyebrows raised when Happy pushed his plate in her direction and told her to "eat some damned fries".

When they were all sipping coffee and sampling pie, Juice smiled at her. "So you're from Georgia?"

"Yes, sir." Sensing that the mohawked man was fishing for information, Josie grinned. "Going to do a background check?"

"Uh, well," Juice looked a little shaken, and Josie couldn't help but laugh.

"I thought someone would probably do that at some point." Patting Happy's suddenly tensed forearm, she rubbed the colored artwork there as he slowly relaxed. "Josephine May Allaway from Berkeley Lake, Georgia. I've had two speeding tickets and was once arrested but not charged for assault. That's it."

"Assault?" Happy wasn't sure if he was more surprised or turned on by the information. She was just so cute and tiny he didn't see how she could assault anyone.

"Ex-boyfriend thought he was going to come into my house and smack me around. My Louisville Slugger and I disagreed." Josie shrugged at the surprised laughter around her. "He was huge! A girl has to even up the odds."

"Where's he at now?" Happy was picturing slowly gutting this faceless idiot who had dared put his hands on Josie, and from the looks of it Tig and the others would hold the bastard down.

Josie gave another shrug. "No clue. Haven't heard from him since high school."

Clay spoke up from his spot at the other end of the table. "Did you learn Spanish in high school?"

"No, sir. I took French." Sipping her tea, she continued before he could question her further. "I had a nanny growing up. Mamma Maria taught me how to speak Spanish and how to fry churros, make canela bunuelos, and dance like no one is watching."

"And this lady just raised you? Where was your mom?" Jax had obviously never considered the concept of someone other than his mother looking after him.

"She had the three boys to look after, running them to football and such, and then she did the usual PTA meetings and charity events. I was a last minute add on, and never quite fit into the little girl-shaped box they had for me."

"You seem pretty girly to me," Opie's quiet rumble came from beside Jax. "Ellie, my daughter, is more a tomboy than you look like."

"I have my moments." Josie stood to retrieve the regular coffee when she noticed both Tig and Bobby were out.

Jax grinned at her invitingly as she came back to the table. "You should come to the Give Back next weekend."

"I'm sorry?" Josie finished filling Tig's mug and looked up, confused, before reaching for Bobby's. "The what?"

"It's a thing my mom organizes every year. There are games, bands, a raffle. Opie puts on a fireworks display."

"And it's when, again?"

"Week from Saturday." Happy mumbled around his mouthful of apples and pie crust.

Josie nodded. "If I can move, I'll try to make it down."

"If you can move?" Tig leaned forward and leered suggestively at Happy.

"Are you always like this?" Josie rolled her eyes at Tig's nod and hurried to explain, as Happy was looking at her with lowered brows. "I'm taking part in the Spartan Race on that Friday, so I'll probably just lie in bed all day Saturday covered in ice packs."

"That bad?"

Josie smirked. "It's the Beast course. It's over twelve miles and more than twenty five obstacles. I get this one, and I'm in the Trifecta Tribe."

"What the fuck?" Happy's rasp seemed to sum up what the men were thinking.

"I completed the Sprint, the Super Spartan, and now I'm going for the Beast. All in one year." Josie shrugged. "It's a thing."

"Hey, JoJo!" Big John's voice boomed from where he now stood behind the counter. His Marine issue haircut was still in place three years after he left the service, and his eyes were as sharp as they had ever been. "You alright out there?"

Smiling, Josie nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

Glancing at the frowning men, he leveled his green eyes on her. "You sure?"

"She said she's fine!" Happy was pissed. They were having a conversation, for Christ's sake, and this asshole just barged in on it!

"I'm trying to explain the Spartan Beast."

"Ah, gotcha. Good luck with that one." Taking his coffee, he retreated to the back.

Alighting on Happy's knee once again, she let him cinch his arm around her waist. She knew jealousy when she saw it, and the man's eyes burned with it the moment Big John had asked after her. "Anyway, I'm just hoping to get through it. No way am I winning, but I have to finish it."

Happy could respect wanting to finish something you started, but he didn't like the way she had told him she was going, or that some asshole had a pet name for **his **girl. They were going to have to have a serious talk about all this.

First, however, the Sons had some unfinished business with the Mayans.


	6. Understandings

_**This one EARNS the M rating! You have been**_ warned.

Hammering on her front door jerked Josie from a sound sleep and into the soft grey light of a predawn world. There was a light green tint to the forest surrounding her cabin, a hint of scarlet beginning to appear in the eastern sky. There was a storm brewing, and Josie knew as she stumbled to answer the door that is was going to be a doozy.

The peephole showed a very agitated Happy standing under the porch light, and Josie flipped the deadbolt to let him in.

"Happy? Wha-?"

The doorknob ripped from her hand and Happy pushed her further into the room and slammed the door. Clasping her face in hands chilled by the night wind, his mouth slammed down on hers, their noses rubbing together uncomfortably. Pulling back, he growled and angled her head to the side before pressing his mouth to hers again. Josie's hands came up to lightly grasp his wrists, using them to help her remain steady as she began to respond.

A pleased fire glinted in his eyes as he pulled away from their embrace.

"I'm not a woman." He turned and began pacing into the living room.

"Um, okay?" Josie wondered if they were in the middle of a conversation she knew nothing about.

"I'm not gonna stand here talking about feelings and shit."

Oh. Josie schooled her expression to keep from smiling. She had been wondering when they would get around to this conversation, though she pictured it starting a little more calmly. "Okay. I'll be the girl."

"What?" That drew him up short.

He had been with the crew that went to the storage facility to retrieve their guns and send a message to the Mayans about stealing their shit. They had killed a few of the Mayans and a Nord who had been working with them. This indicated a serious problem, as the two groups were formidable opponents in their own rights, and would be dangerous while united.

That Jax had only been saved a serious injury by his bulletproof vest had not gone unnoticed by the club's enforcer. He did not want to go on a job and be killed while wondering if he could have had something with Josie. His mother had been talking about the things she regretted in life, having done of failed to do, and he didn't want to have such a list when he died.

"I like you. A lot. I could love you, if we let this go on." Josie shrugged and smiled gently. Moving through the open kitchen, she retrieved a beer from the fridge and used the bottle opener attached to the counter before handing it to him. "I have a feeling you're more about actions than pretty words, and I'm okay with that."

Happy nodded. His raspy growl was more suited to barking orders or hissing threats than trying to talk about flowers and shit. "Actions make things real."

"I understand that. I'm not a girl who does relationships casually, Happy."

"Wouldn't want you if you did. Could have any club slut for that."

"That's something we have to talk about." Josie frowned and chewed at the corner of her lip as she sank down on her couch.

Happy frowned. What did club whores have to do with Josie? They didn't belong in the same category as the beautiful redhead. "Why are we talking about them?"

"I'm willing to work with what we have going on here, and I will stick with you through a lot of shit, but there are a few things that I **will not **put up with."

Happy drank from the brown bottle she had given him and slowly paced in front of her. Movement helped him think. "Okay, shoot."

"I won't put up with you gettin' drunk and bein' mean to me. There will be no other women. And if you ever hit me, you better hope to God I'm dead or you better put me down long enough for you to be far, far away by the time I get back up."

"Even on runs?"

"What?"

"I agree to not get so drunk that I take shit out on you, and I'm not a woman beater. But what happens on a run, stays on a run."

"Yeah, until it comes back to bite me in the butt." Josie snorted and shook her head before standing from her seat. "If I'm going to commit myself to you, and accept that you're going to be my man, then I don't want you screwing some other woman."

Happy nodded as he thought. She made sense, and she wasn't trying to manipulate him, but he was a Nomad. He might be spending a lot of him time in Charming right now to help out with the Mayan situation, but he could spend a lot of time on the road. Road head was one of the perks of the trade.

"What about head?"

Josie blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm Nomad. Could spend a lot of time on the road after this Mayan bullshit is cleared up. I want to know if I can get head."

Josie drew her lip between her teeth as she went over her options. Happy was an attractive man who was very important to the club. He would be offered the best of whatever girls these places had. He was willing to give up full on sex with some very beautiful women to be with her. She knew a compromise when she saw it.

"Road head is okay, but absolutely nothing else, and never in the same town as I am. I don't want some tramp coming up to me talking about you." Josie took in his shocked expression with a sigh and a shrug. "I'm not going to keep you from getting off, and I have a feeling you guys use those girls sort of like I use my battery operated toys, so I'm allowing head.

"However," holding up her hand, she staved off any comments until she was finished speaking. "I don't want you coming anywhere close to some other woman's pussy in any way, shape, or form. No touching, licking, or fucking anyone who isn't me. If anyone is going to end up with your dark eyed little babies, it's going to be me."

Setting his beer down on the low coffee table, Happy looped an arm around her waist. Drawing Josie's diminutive form against his own, he chuckled when her head barely reached his chest. With a hand along her jaw, he angled her lips up to meet his own.

Josie's pulse thrummed with electricity, her heart kicking into high gear as Happy captured her lower lip between his own. He sucked on it carefully until she whimpered. With a low chuckle, he slid his tongue along the seam of her lips to meet her own. Josie was flying and falling, Happy's arms and lips the only things anchoring her to the earth. When she collapsed against him bonelessly, her hands wrapping around the heft of his biceps, he slid the arm around her waist down to press her hips more fully against the proof of his arousal.

Josie had a pretty clear idea of where they were going to end up, until an insistent gurgling rumble intruded on her peace. Feeling Happy's abdomen physically twitch as it issued another growl, she couldn't help but giggle. Pulling away from her would be lover, she smiled up at him.

"Hungry, baby?"

Reluctantly, Happy nodded. "Had shit to do, then wanted to get here."

"Haven't eaten since the diner, huh?" Already knowing the answer, she led him into the kitchen. "Feel like anything in particular?"

"Yeah," Happy let his eyes trail over her hips, clad only in a pair of light pink boyshorts, and was rewarded with a derisive snort and a roll of her eyes.

"Later, ya perv." Opening her fridge, she removed a couple steaks and some green beans she had bought at the farmers market over the weekend. "Steak work?"

"Hell yeah, it does."

Josie nodded and pulled an apron on over her camisole and shorts before she began snapping the ends off the beans and dropping the rest in a pot. "Do I want to know why you smell like you were burning something?"

"Depends."

"On?" Dropping the bean in her hands, she wiped her fingers on the apron skirt and focused on the man sitting at her table. "I know you guys are outside the law, and I know you have to do something others aren't willing to do in order to get that 'Unholy Ones' patch, since none of the others have it. Can you tell me about it?"

"I can tell you some. If you decide to be my Old Lady, then I can tell you everything."

Nodding, she went back to her beans. "I can live with that. You tell me when you want me to be your Old Lady, and I'll tell you when I love you. Deal?"

"Deal." Thinking over the possibility of Josie being permanently his, Happy smiled darkly. "If I make you my Old Lady, I'm gonna want you to take my crow. I'm a possessive bastard, and want you marked."

"So, this crow is like a wedding ring?"

"Yeah, but it don't come off." Holding up a heavily inked arm, Happy grinned

"Do I get to pick what it looks like and where it goes?"

"Nope, that's all me." At her incredulous look, he chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll ink you myself, and I'll make it look real good. It's probably going to be big, and where people can see it a lot. Especially when you go running in your underwear."

"I'll see about getting some running tanks this morning, if that'll make you feel better." Josie shook her head at his approving smile and put the beans on to cook while she put a rub on the steaks and began heating the skillet. "Did you want a shower before you eat?"

"Why? Am I stinking up the joint?"

Smirking, Josie wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind and leaned down to kiss behind his ear. "You smell like sweat and a dirty fire."

"I gotcha."

When he stood, he dropped a kiss on her lips and went out to his bike for the change of clothes he habitually kept there. He returned, wondering down the short hall until he saw his new girl pulling a plush green towel from the closet beside the bathroom door. Silently accepting it, he kissed her again before moving to get clean.

Dinner was quiet, with Josie fighting yawns every few bites and Happy feeling as if his arms and legs were becoming too heavy to move. When his fork slipped from his fingers after his last bite, Josie cleared off the table and put everything to soak in the sink. Reaching out for his hand, she pulled him up and down the hall to her bedroom, the king size bed looking more inviting than Happy ever thought possible.

Turning, Josie drew his gun from the shoulder holster and laid it on the table next to where he would be lying. Working it from his torso, she unbuckled his belt and let it all fall to the floor. Drawing her hands up his chest, she kissed him when he would protest. Easing his cut from his shoulders, she kept it from hitting the ground and carefully draped it over the top of her dresser. His t-shirt had joined his pants on the floor by the time she turned, and she smiled at the black boxer briefs he wore.

Wiggling out of her long socks and sliding in, Josie smiled as Happy climbed clumsily into the bed. When he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his hard body, she couldn't help the giggle that bubbled from her lips. This was obviously one of the things that he did a lot, and she wondered how he was going to react to other men being around her at all, let alone the other members of his own club.

Josie thought about her alarm clock and forced open one eye. "What time do you have to be awake? Should I set an alarm for you?"

Nuzzling his nose against the crown of her head, Happy nearly purred. "God, you smell good. I'm good unless someone calls. You?"

"It's my day off."

"Good. Now shut up and sleep."

Happy grinned at Josie's quiet chuckle, and the two of them settled in for a good long sleep.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Josie woke to the sound of rain drops battering against the tin roof of her back porch, the early afternoon sunlight a pale grey outside the windows beyond her sheer curtains. Happy was still and silent in the bed beside her, his long, colorful arm thrown over his eyes. Sliding carefully out of bed, she made her way across the hall to the bathroom.

Finished with using the facilities and brushing her teeth, she tiptoed back into the room. Happy hadn't moved from his position, and only flinched slightly as she eased back under the blankets to curl against his side. When his arm came down to rest across her back, she sighed and snuggled closer.

"Time?" His voice was sandpaper over glass this early, and Josie's toes curled in reaction.

"Little after 1:00."

"What time does that place with the running shit close?" Happy began running his fingers over the satiny fabric covering Josie's back, loving the hell out of the quiet moan he caused. "Don't want you flashin' my shit all over town."

"I'm going to be in a sports bra and shorts for the Spartan race, just so you know." Stretching to capture as much of Happy's movements as she could, Josie sighed. "And it closes at 8 or 9 o'clock."

"Me and some of the guys are going to be at that race, so don't worry about that."

Before Josie could answer, Happy drew away from her. Tilting her head back, he brought his lips down to hers in a long, slow kiss that had her wrapping her arms around him and urging him onto his back. He brought her with him, and she was content to lie on his chest in order to kiss his perfect lips and the strong line of his jaw.

When she moved to the spot behind his ear, nibbling along the side of his neck, he slipped his hands under the lace-trimmed hem of her shirt to feel the smooth skin of her back. The slight scrape of his callused hands over her spine had Josie moaning, her legs moving to frame his narrow hips as her back arched into his touch. Happy drew his hands up, pulling her shirt up as he moved.

Josie pulled away long enough for him to remove her camisole, coming back down only to have her world flip as Happy rolled her under him. His mouth left a small purple bruise at the junction of her neck and left shoulder, his left hand kneading her breast and thumbing the tight pink bud of her nipple. Josie threw her head back as tension began to form a pulsing coil deep in her center.

Josie's short nails scraped over the snake slithering over Happy's bald head. He growled lowly at the sensation, switching to tongue her right nipple. While his mouth was busy, his hand slid along her firm abdomen to slide under the soft cotton of her boyshorts. As he felt the small thatch of trimmed hair and the dewy heat waiting below, he couldn't contain his moan.

"So wet for me already, girl?" Slipping his hand free, he nipped at the curve of her hips and he helped her shimmy the pink panties down her thighs and off her feet. "Fuckin' smell like heaven."

As he began to let his fingers tease and tickle over her slit, Happy began nipping and sucking in earnest. When Josie began flinching and arching, trying to get closer to his fingers, Happy chuckled and switched to her other hip, biting her firmly in punishment. Josie gave a gasping shout of pleasure, and he was pleased enough to slowly slide two fingers inside.

"Oh! Oh, **Happy**!" Josie would have been embarrassed by her response, but it had been over two years since her last experience, and she was tight."

"Jesus! You're gonna fuckin' kill me." Happy slowly began to move, stretching and preparing her as he went.

When she began whimpering and moving against him in frustrated little thrusts, he moved lower and used his free hand to spread her dewy lips open. Licking her slowly, he used the heel of his palm to help hold her down. Tilting his head, he began to work her in earnest.

Josie's eyes flew open, and her legs nearly snapped closed around his ears. "Oh, God!"

Josie was moaning and panting, little lights beginning to sparkle behind her eyelids. Forcing her eyes open, she grasped her pillow with one hand and caressed Happy's head with her other. When his eyes snapped to hers, he drew his tongue over her one last time. When Josie saw his tongue flick clear of the top of her, she lost all control and came violently against his tongue and all over his flicking fingers.

When she came to her senses, it was to the sight of Happy hovering over her. He had rolled a condom over his turgid length, and wanted to see what he did to her as he slid home. Using his knees, he opened her thighs wide and slowly began working himself into her tight channel. He had to clench his jaw at the way she felt surrounding him.

Josie felt as if a steel thread was somehow running through her body, bowing her back and arching her off the bed further and further with each centimeter he slid inside her waiting, weeping body. When he caught her knees and drew himself out, she was able to lengthen out again. Waiting for her to look at him, he began all over.

"Like that, little girl?"

Nodding franticly, Josie fought to keep her eyes open and focused on him as he stared into her eyes and then gazed at the place where they were joined. "So . . . good."

"Yeah? What if I changed the angle a bit?" Shifting his hips an inch, he was rewarded by Josie's deep moan. "Oh _yeah_, that's _so _it."

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she began lifting her hips to meet his thrusts. "Faster."

Speeding up, Happy chuckled at her pleased sigh. "That good?"

"Oh yeah. Right there." Her breath hitched, her pulse gave a jump, and she was suddenly on the precipice of something intangible and golden, in need of just a little more. Whining in the back of her throat, she was rewarded by Happy moving still faster with an extra strength to his thrusts.

"Shit. Hap. . . Hap. . . HapHapHap!"

"What do you need, Josie?"

"I don't. . . I just. . . " She stalled out, knowing she needed something and unable to form the words that would help her get there.

Slowing, Happy instead gave a languid roll of his hips. Josie gave a hiccupping shout in response, and he grinned. When he did it again, Josie lost all feeling in her legs as they began to draw tighter on their own. Her hands and arms drew him down against her chest, her nails leaving little half-moon indentations along his sides and spine.

"Oh, good Lord, that's good."

"Gonna cum for me little girl?"

Josie could only give a wordless whine, and he chuckled in return.

"C'mon, girl. I wanna feel you squeeze me. Wanna feel that wetness all over my cock."

"Oh, fuck!" Josie felt her nails sinking into his skin but couldn't stop as she was suddenly right back on that high up peak, just waiting to fly off.

"That's it, girl. Let me see what a good girl looks like cumming all over this bad boy dick."

With that, Josie was gone. Her shout was of pure exaltation as she shattered around him.

Happy buried his face in her neck, and gave up maintaining that rhythm as he thrust against her. "Mine. You're fuckin' mine, little girl. Ain't no one else gonna touch you like this ever fuckin' again."

Josie held him close and waited. Just as he began to lose all rhythm, his words dying out on moans and gasps, she buried her lips against his ear and whispered.

"Yours."


	7. Meeting Mama Bear

**_I loved Gemma in season 1 and 2, and that's the one I'm focusing on. Buckle up kiddies, things are about to get_**_** REAL**. _

Happy lasted fifteen minutes in the store before he told Josie he'd return and stepped out for a cigarette. Standing under the little green canopy beside the door in order to avoid being soaked by the rain, he watched through the window as she moved from rack to rack, pulling various tanks and t-shirts out and draping them over her arm. The lights in the store glinted off her alabaster skin, and he smiled as they highlighted the little purple bruise he had left on her neck that she hadn't even attempted to hide with either makeup or clothing.

Josie knew Happy wouldn't make it in the store for too long, and was amused that he had made it through the front door. The large shop catered to many fitness interests. A large hanging in the window read "Namaste", and there were yoga mats and accessories organized along part of one wall. Various shoes occupied the rest of that wall and most of the back wall. Free weights and barbells filled a third of the floor space, and Josie had looked over some of the kettlebells before moving on to the clothes.

It had been a while since Josie let herself splurge on workout gear, and she found herself going a little wild. Five running skirts in different patterns were the first thing she selected, their attached briefs allowing her to cut down on seams that would chafe sensitive areas. There was a huge selection of shirts in moisture wicking materials, and Josie had fun picking out some with funny sayings. "Train like a BEAST look like a Beauty" joined "Your workout is my warmup" and "Run Jump Lift Suffer Breathe Repeat" in her arms before she really got busy giving her usually dormant debit card a workout of its own. If she was going to wear something that covered enough to calm Happy down, she was damn sure going to make sure it was also fun.

After adding a dozen new pairs of knee socks and some kinesiology tape to the pile, Josie paid for it all and lugged the five bags out of the store and into the afternoon heat, muggy and warm now that the rain had passed, to meet Happy just outside. He was on the phone as she approached, giving a couple of passing teenaged boys a hard stare when they turned to watch Josie greet him with a chaste kiss. When the boys hurried away, he grinned and finished his call.

"Buy the store?" He eyed her bags warily, trying to gauge how often she spent money like that.

"No, I didn't buy the store." Josie let him take the bags from her hands as he led the way through the now humid afternoon to the truck. "I hardly ever buy new clothes, and go for things that either mix and match really well or that will work for a long time."

"Jax says we should come to his mom's for dinner." Happy started the truck, frowning at the slight hesitation before the engine turned over.

"Is that weird?"

Happy shrugged. "Gemma has family dinners sometimes. She invites me if I'm in town."

"So we'll go to dinner. No big deal."

"She insisted that you come too."

Josie slid across the faded vinyl of the bench seat to rest her head against his shoulder. "So the Queen of SAMCRO wants to meet little ol' me."

"Looks like it."

"Well, I'm good with that." Rolling her eyes up to study the side of Happy's face, Josie frowned. "Unless you don't want me around them for some reason?"

"Tig's a fuckin' pervert, and some of the guys might hit on you until I set them straight, but I know you won't go for them."

"But are you ashamed of me?"

"What?!" The truck gave a jerk to the right before settling on its course.

Josie shrugged again, pulling herself up to sit a few inches away. "I know I'm not what they're used to. If you don't want me to come around, then I won't."

"Fuck that." Yanking her back to his side, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders for a moment before he had to let go in order to shift gears. "We're goin'."

"What time do we need to be there?"

"Jax said show up before 7:00."

Josie frowned at the clock. "So we have about 2 ½ hours to get ready."

"Looks like it."

Taking stock of the fact that she had recently showered, that her legs were hairless and her eyebrows recently plucked, and that her hair would not turn out any better than it already was because of the humidity, Josie nodded. "I'll be ready."

"You had to think that over?"

"My Grandma always said that, if you can be ready to leave the house to go somewhere in under half an hour, you probably have no business going there in the first place. I just had to make sure my foundation 'getting ready' stuff was done."

Pulling in beside their bikes parked next to each other in her driveway, Happy parked the truck and opened his door. "Bitches are weird."

Josie chuckled and climbed out before retrieving her bags from the floorboard. "Women just like to make sure we're as dazzling as possible, especially when meeting members of our man's family."

Slapping her sharply on the butt as they walked through the door, he chuckled lightly. "You go get dazzling, then."

"I can't go somewhere for dinner and not bring something!" Every bit of Josie's extensive Southern family ancestry would be scandalized at the very idea. "No, I need to see what I have in the kitchen first. I could probably whip together something for dessert."

Happy simply laughed and carried her bags into her room to dump them on her bed. "I'm gonna head down while the rain has let up. See you in a few?"

Nodding, Josie relished the opportunity to get ready without an audience. Much better that he only see the end result, and not the frantic rush. "I'll call for directions when I get close?"

"Good deal." Pulling her close, he pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

Josie sighed. "You be careful."

He only chuckled and left her to her preparations.

Deciding to bring something sweet and truly southern, Josie mixed up an almond meringue and piped it into the shape of little bowls before putting it in the oven to bake. That finished, she pureed a few pounds of peaches and hooked up her electric ice cream maker. After setting it up to churn up some good, old fashioned peach ice cream, she made a quick raspberry sauce and then went in search of the perfect outfit.

Staring at her racks of clothes, Josie suddenly realized that this was the first time in many years that she had absolutely no idea what she should wear. Gemma was Jax's mother and Clay's wife, so she was biker chick royalty. However, it was a family dinner, and she didn't think the women there would be wearing tiny skirts and spike heels for such an occasion. As she was sure that this was a way for the older woman to vet her, Josie felt as if she should try to look the part of a biker's girlfriend, but wanted to come off as nice and unthreatening as well.

"Okay, Josie. When in doubt, keep it simple and wear your pearls."

Pairing a dusky rose, pink tulle layered skirt with a soft, grey knit shirt with matching little pink bows on the cap sleeves; she twirled once in front of the mirror. Her double stranded pearl necklace looked lovely against her throat, and her delicate, monogrammed earrings were the perfect gold compliment. Plucking a few stray hairs in her eyebrows, she reapplied some eye shadow in tones of mauve to bring out her eyes. Once her lips were lined and painted a perfect pink to compliment her eyes and hair, it was time for shoes. She selected a pair of ankle strapped, sky high, peep toed heels in the same pink as her skirt and went to pack up the dessert.

With the meringue bowls stored safely in a cake carrier, the raspberry sauce in a sealed bowl, and the ice cream packed in its metal cylinder within a small cooler, Josie made great time on the road and pulled up outside the Morrow household with fifteen minutes to spare. Happy and a young man she hadn't met before were standing on the front walk, and began walking to the truck just as she cut the engine. She took a moment to examine her hair and makeup one last time before arching a brow at Happy as he stood beside her bumper, smiling and rewarding him with a kiss after he opened and held her door.

"Thank you." Smiling sweetly, she offered her hand to the slightly gaping young man with curly reddish hair and a scant beard when it became abundantly clear that Happy had no plans to introduce them. "Josie May. And you are?"

At Happy's displeased grunt, he startled and hurried to shake her hand while slowly turning a blazing pink. "Half-Sack."

"I'm sorry?" Glancing at Happy, she focused back on the other man.

He grinned shyly and looked mostly at the ground as he confirmed what she thought she had heard. "They call me Half Sack."

Nodding, she directed the men to the other side of the truck to retrieve the treats. "Is that a reference to something in particular, or. . . "

Happy rolled his eyes, bored and annoyed with the prospect getting attention while he was _right there_. "He's only got one ball. Lost the other in Iraq. Get the cooler, prospect."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you made it out with your life. Also, I know a boy who lost his leg over there. At least you look like you can still get around on your own."

Half Sack nodded quickly and twitched slightly under Happy's stern glare as he lifted the cooler to his shoulder and carried the bowl of raspberry sauce in his free hand. "Thank you. Ma'am? The grass is wet, and you might want to walk around to the sidewalk."

"I will. Thank you very much!" Lacing her arm through Happy's she allowed him to steer her down to the curved stone walk.

"Don't have to be nice to the little asshole," Happy's voice managed to be sullen and commanding, and Josie wondered how he pulled it off. "He's just a prospect."

"He's a boy amongst men, and he is extremely insecure around you. And, let's face it, all men **should **be insecure when you're near. It didn't hurt you or anyone else for me to be nice to him."

Nodding wordlessly, Happy smirked as he watched the prospect fight to open the door without dropping anything. Catching it before it closed, he held it open for Josie to step through. The silence that greeted them was so unexpected and incongruous with the raucous crowd he knew to be inside, that he almost pulled her back out for fear that they had all been murdered while he was outside. A quick look was all it took for him to realize that all the men were crowded into the front room in order to watch him lead Josie into the house. The Old Ladies and the women Gemma trusted enough to come over and not burn the place down were watching from their positions around the kitchen, leaning to get better views.

"Hello," Josie wasn't the least bit surprised to see that the seductive purr of a voice belonged to a woman of middling years. She was wearing an embroidered peasant top and had chunky blonde highlights in her deep brown hair. "You must be Josie. I'm Gemma."

"Yes, ma'am. Pleased to meet you." Josie shook her hand, taking stock of the perfect nails and abundant bracelets. "I'm sorry I'm cutting it so close to dinner time."

"Nonsense, you're fine." Leaning forward, Gemma stage whispered. "Only family members can be late."

Josie knew that she had just been informed that she wasn't to be considered family. Not yet. Gemma was about to start putting her through some tests of her own.

"I brought some desert. I hope that's okay."

Gemma looked pleasantly surprised and flicked a look of approval at Happy before answering. "Oh course! That is so . . . sweet."

"It's just some peach ice cream I whipped together. It's no bother." _Do not try to out-bitch a southerner, Gemma. We're masters at this, and you will __**lose**__._

"The girls are just finishing up a few things in the kitchen, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to get your hands dirty."

"Nonsense! I'll be right behind you." Turning, Josie looked up at Happy's quietly proud grin. He might think women were strange, but he understood subtle power struggles. "Beer?"

"Yeah. I'll be in the den." Pressing a quick kiss to her temple, he went in search of the other men.

Josie didn't miss the upturn of Gemma's lips as she turned to lead the way into the kitchen, and the older woman wasted no time in introducing her as "Hap's Girl" to the others. Directing Josie on where to store the ice cream so that it could harden while they ate, Gemma began issuing orders for the final stages of the preparations. When one of the girls Gemma had included under the umbrella term "the only decent girls that hang around the clubhouse" snottily told Josie that she should get to work scrubbing some of the dishes, Josie shook her head and looked to the reigning queen.

"Happy is expecting his beer. Let me run that out to him and I'll get those potatoes drained and mashed."

Gemma smirked and nodded. "Beer is in the fridge. Just follow the noise, and I'm sure you'll find your man."

"Only because it's the others makin' all the noise."

Josie was rewarded with a chuckle, and she retrieved the promised bottle. Twisting the cap free, she followed the laughter through the house to where Clay was holding court in the den. Stepping lightly through the room, she handed Happy his drink and smiled at the men who offered their greetings.

"When are we eating, girl?" Clay's laughing baritone nearly echoed over the voices around him. "We're starving here!"

"I'll be mashing the potatoes as soon as I get back, so just a few more minutes." Winking at Happy's nod, she skirted Tig and Chibs on her way to the door. As she passed the front door, she could see the back of the snotty dish woman as she stomped down the walk away from the house. Gemma obviously caught the insult and decided that Josie ranked higher.

Finishing everything took no time at all with so many helping hands, and Josie found herself laughing easily while Luanne and Gemma insulted the 'useless whores' that generally hung around the clubhouse.

The older blonde was quickly becoming a source of information and easily shared knowledge about the club and what would be expected of her. As long as she behaved like a lady, looked out for her man and the club as a whole, and didn't let some whore tread on her territory, Luanne assured her that she would do just fine. Josie resolved to do just that. It would feel nice to have a family again.

Dinner was a boisterous, friendly affair, with stories and teasing insults flying so fast Josie nearly couldn't follow them all. Tig would occasionally refer to Happy as "Killer", which didn't go unnoticed by the redhead, though she chose not to comment on it just yet. Juice and Half Sack were seated at the far end of the table while Happy and Josie were located next to each other at the center.

Josie excused herself as the others were all finishing up their main course, moving into the kitchen where she started a pot of coffee and began getting the dessert ready. She began by placing the small meringue bowl on plates. Filling each with a large scoop of peach ice cream, she was topping them with the raspberry sauce just as the women began clearing the table.

"That looks like more than just some simple ice cream." Gemma arched a brow and looked the assembled plates over.

Josie smiled softly. "It looks harder than it is, really. I can give you the recipe if you'd like."

"I think I'll just leave these up to you." The two women giggled, an unspoken truce achieved between pouring cups of coffee and sitting dainty bowls of ice cream in front of hardcore outlaw bikers.

O:O:O:O:O:

Josie and Happy sat in the main room of the clubhouse after leaving Clay and Gemma's with the bulk of the others. Gemma had exchanged phone numbers with her in case they needed to contact each other for some reason. While Josie knew she wasn't out of the woods with the protective woman yet, she was taking that as a good sign.

"Did good today."

Josie smiled at his quiet praise. "Thank you. I wanted to make you proud."

Happy gave a chuckle. "Do that just by showing up looking so fucking amazing."

"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?! I thought you didn't notice." Laying her head on his shoulder, she noticed a few of his patches were beginning to pull away from the leather of his cut. "Am I allowed to fix your patches, or is that something you have to do yourself?"

"I always notice how you look. Like your hair down like that." Reaching out, he began curling a strand around his fingers where it had fallen across his thigh. "And you can fix the patches if you want. We're just supposed to sew our colors and the rockers on the back when we're patched in."

Josie nodded and made a mental note to make sure her sewing basket had a needle strong enough for the leather. "I was thinking of getting it cut."

Happy's displeasure came through loud and clear in his growl. "No."

"No?"

"It's good long and all floaty and shit around those hips of yours."

The chiming of Happy's phone stopped Josie from responding, and she smiled softly as he dug it out of his pocket.

"What?" He chuckled at her snort of amusement before focusing on what Quinn, the president of the Nomads, was saying to him.

"_Fresno is having a problem with non-payment." _Quinn was always good with getting straight to the point. _"You fee to take the job?"_

"Yeah, I'm good for it."

"_Should be an easy job. In and out."_

"Good deal."

Hanging up, he frowned slightly. How the hell did the others tell their girls they had to take off? He couldn't shove her off and walk away like he would have a sweetbutt.

Josie smiled and patted his leg. "Need to leave?"

"Yeah, I gotta head to Fresno for a bit. Shouldn't be too long."

"Is it dangerous?" Josie knew he wouldn't tell her everything, but she hoped he'd at least give her that.

Chuckling, Happy drew her head back to kiss her softly. "No, it shouldn't be a problem. Simple in and out money collection."

Standing, Josie followed him to his room and then to his bike. Standing next to it, she tipped her head back to accept a long, slow kiss goodbye. He waited until she was in her truck and leaving the lot before he started his Harley and followed.

Twenty minutes later, Josie pulled into Sally's for a celebratory milkshake and to check her schedule to make sure she had the time of her next shift correct. The black van parked in a spot near the road seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn't seem to place it. Strawberry goodness in hand, she soon returned to her truck and headed home.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Convincing herself to get up for work the next afternoon had been difficult, but she rallied and made it in for Way Back Wednesday. One Wednesday a month, the waitresses would all dress up in 1940s and 50s era uniforms, and oldies tunes were played all day. Some of the area assisted living and nursing homes would bring their residents in, and they had games and fun all day. Joshua, the owner of Sally's, had instituted the tradition years ago, and it had become a major attraction for the diner.

Happy had sent her a text late last night to let her know that he'd made it to Fresno with no trouble, that one of his close friends – a man named Kozic – had joined him, and that he should be back a few hours after she got off work. While she was glad to know that he had made it, that he was around friends, and that he planned on returning soon, Josie couldn't help but worry about her tattooed lover.

She tried very hard not to think about their arrangement about runs.

It was after 1 AM when Josie trudged through her front door and decided to text Gemma in the hopes that the older woman would be awake at this time of the morning and have some advice. _Hey. Does waiting on them to get back ever get easier?_

When her phone began to ring before she could even remove her shoes, Josie had to smile. Gemma seemed the type who would prefer to speak on the phone rather than text back and forth. Josie noticed that a lot with older people.

"Hello?"

Gemma didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Waiting on them doesn't get easier, but you _do _learn to tell the difference between simple runs and something dangerous."

"Okay," Josie sighed and slipped off her shoes and left them just inside the front door. Dropping her bag next to them, she flipped on the kitchen light. "I just needed the voice of someone who had been there before."

"With these guys, there's something you have to understand. If you love them, then you learn to love the club." Gemma chuckled. "It's the best dysfunctional family in the world."

Sipping a cup of water as she digested what she had just heard, Josie had just turned down the hall to her room when her kitchen room shattered inward under a heavy boot.


	8. Man-Size

_I personally own a Glock 30 Gen4. With the stock trigger, the pull is too stiff for me, but we replaced it with a ghost trigger, which makes it very easy for me to shoot. **WARNING: ****Happy gets a little scary here, and lemon alert for the end. Title for this chapter is from the P J Harvey song.**_

Josie dropped the cup as she sprinted the fifteen feet to her bedroom door. Slamming it shut behind her, she threw the lock and flung herself across the room. Dropping the phone as she went, she reached her right hand under the bed. The small handgun safe she kept there read her fingerprints nearly instantly, and she had the Glock 30 gen4 in her hand by the time someone knocked quietly on her bedroom door.

"Hey, white girl." The thickly accented voice wasn't familiar. "Know you're in there."

"Go away," Josie focused on steadying her hands as she flicked on her laser sights. She could hear Gemma shouting over the phone where it lay on the bed, but had a feeling it wasn't at her.

"C'mon, chicka. We saw you running around with that Son." A low chuckle accompanied another soft knock. "We know you like the Latin meat. Why don't you come on out and give us a try?"

Her door shuddered under a heavy blow, and Josie drew in a deep breath. When the solid wood cracked under the next impact, she squared her shoulders and moved to stand as far to the right as she could get while still maintaining a clear shot. A third hit sent the door inward under the impact, and Josie was out of time.

The men had not been expecting an armed confrontation, and their weapons had not been at the ready, so they were completely surprised when faced with Josie's loaded pistol. Her mind filled with a buzzing static, keeping her from focusing on the details as she aimed and fired on the two intruders from three feet away. The Glock's .45 caliber hollow points were made for maximum penetration and damage, and they did not disappoint.

The first man through the door was caught in the chest, as she aimed for center mass, his arms flinging wide at the impact. The second Mayan was raising his own pistol, but he was nearly tripped by the other's falling body, and Josie's next shot went past him and lodged in the wall. By the time he sidestepped his compatriot and corrected, Josie had put the little red dot in his eye and was pulling her trigger. It wasn't until everything fell silent that she heard a third man coming through her kitchen door, grinding the glass from the little window under his heel.

"_What the fuck?!" _The Spanish was rapid fire, and Josie realized that this third man thought the other two had fired their guns to scare her into submission. _"You two assholes can't handle one little fucking girl?"_

Diving across the hall and into the bathroom, she closed the door until only a crack of light was visible. Trying to control her breathing to keep from passing out, she waited. When the biker stopped in the doorway to her room, a curse dying on his lips, she eased the door open and aimed the gun at the back of his head.

"Do. Not. Move." The man in front of her wasn't a full member, his 'prospect' rocker saying how unprepared for an armed resistance they had been.

"Drop the gun," Josie kicked it into the bathroom when he followed instructions. "We're gonna walk back down that hall and you're gonna sit at the table."

The young man moved slowly, nearly stumbling over his own feet while Josie stayed a few feet behind him. "We weren't –"

"Shut up, I ain't interested."

When the intruder whipped around, his arm thrown out to snatch the gun, Josie stumbled and nearly fell. Grasping her wrist, he dragged her across the smooth wood floor and straddled her waist. He backhanded her twice in an attempt to shock her into letting go of the gun, but her grip remained locked. Josie felt the flair of pain and tasted blood before she managed to work her knee in between them and shove him back. Firing blindly through a well of tears in the direction the man had fallen, she heard him cry out.

Pushing herself to her feet, she blinked the tears away and set her jaw against the pain and terror. The man lay in what remained of a glass flower vase, his right arm and leg both showing patches of blood. When he raised a hand in front of his face, pleading with her in a jumble of English and Spanish, Josie kicked his injured leg.

"Get. Up."

He shook his head. "No, no, I cannot."

"Yeah, you can." Pointing to the kitchen table, she drew out a chair and waved the gun from him to the seat and back. "Move!"

When he sat, she kept herself more than five feet away while she waited for the help she so desperately hoped Gemma would bring.

When her windows were suddenly full of headlights and the air was alive with the rumblings of a dozen Harleys, Josie refused to relax until the front door eased open and Tig's now familiar eyes greeted her own. Taking in the tiny girl with the big gun in her hands, he grinned proudly. Calling the all clear back to the others, he came to stand at her shoulder.

"Doing okay there, pussycat?"

"There are two more." Josie could hear her voice quiver, but couldn't care less about it. "Down the hall, in my room."

Tig glanced behind them and then nodded. "Okay, we'll take care of them too. Which one did that to your face, doll?"

"He did, before I shot him."

"Yeah, we'll take care of that one, too." Tig's voice was low and angry.

Josie could see the others filtering in through the front and back doors, though no one spoke. She could feel her hands begin to shake as the adrenaline bled away, leaving her exhausted and terrified. Tig's large, scarred hand slowly removed the pistol from her grip, his other arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders. Ushering her over to where Jax was trying to convince his mother to stay back, Tig took over guard duty with Chibs.

"Come here, baby," Gemma wrapped the smaller woman in a motherly hug, and Josie took the strength she was offering with a grateful sigh. "You okay? You did real good, girl."

"What the fuck is this shit?!" Happy's shout of disbelieving anger dried her tears, and Josie pulled away from Gemma only to be caught up in a pair of steal arms. "You good, little girl?"

Josie nodded again, trying to decide if she could somehow climb into Happy's chest and never leave. When Gemma began recounting what she knew of the situation, Josie sighed and snuggled into the warmth against her cheek. Josie was forced back to reality when Happy asked her for details, and she ended up recounting the entire ordeal for the assembled group. They were all impressed that she kept a 'beside the bed' gun, though they were surprised that a woman her size could handle such a large caliber.

Happy's only interruptions came when he asked if the gun was registered, if the man at the table was the one to hurt her, and if she wanted to come back to the clubhouse with them. After she answered 'yes' to all three, he sent her and Gemma to pack while the others took care of everything else. They needed to get the bodies taken care of, the living Mayan questioned, and the cabin cleaned.

"We'll drive down in my car tonight and come back for your truck and bike later." Gemma and Josie tiptoed over the bloody patches of carpet on their way to the dresser and closet. "Pack some clothes and the important stuff for now."

Josie pulled out a small suitcase and began packing everything she thought she would need for the next few days. If they were able to collect more in the morning, she would be glad, but didn't want to count on it. They hadn't said what they were going to do to the man sitting at her kitchen table, but she had a feeling that it might occupy the ranking members of the club for quite some time.

"Hey," Gemma's voice was pitched low as she pursed her lips and watched the younger woman move about the closet. "Are you going to lose your shit or not?"

"Not in front of Happy or the others." Josie shrugged. "I promised myself I could have a good cry in the shower later."

Gemma nodded. "One of the reasons God invented showers."

Having finished in her room, Josie retrieved her makeup and hair essentials from the bathroom. Returning to the bedroom, she zipped her case closed and turned to force a smile for the older woman. Gemma gave a sardonic smile that was quickly becoming familiar and shook her head.

"You ever going to be able to spend time in here again?"

Shrugging, Josie sighed. "Maybe?"

When the two women returned to the main room, Josie could see that Juice and Half Sack were busy nailing the back door closed while everyone else stood around either staring at the Mayan prospect or speaking quietly to each other. Josie sat her bags down by the door and sought Happy out in the small crowd. When she saw him pacing at the opposite end of the table, staring down its length at the fidgeting enemy, she couldn't help the watery smile that pulled at her lips.

Happy was so angry that every muscle in his body was loose, his shoulders and arms unconsciously rolling and flexing. The white rage was being held back only by the knowledge that Josie was still in the house. That she had managed to shoot and kill two of the assholes while taking the third for questioning turned him on, but he needed to make the little asshole in front of him talk before he got dead.

"Hap." Kozik's lighter tenor broke him out of his stare. "Your girl."

Without taking his eyes off the man in front of him, Happy lifted his right arm and motioned Josie forward with two fingers. When she was close enough, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Relishing her heat and soft sigh against the white shirt he wore, he squeezed her until she made a little sound of protest.

"Go with Gemma. Stay in my room at the clubhouse."

"Of course, Happy." Josie didn't want to leave his side, but knew he would want to talk to the man who had survived coming into her house. "You come to me when you're through."

Glancing down, Happy felt a nasty smirk curl his lips at the hard glint in her eyes. Josie knew he was about to do something very unfriendly to the Mayan prospect, and wasn't protesting or attempting to get in his way. She simply wanted him to be with her as soon as he was able.

Happy nodded. "Yeah."

"Juice, you and Sack escort them back to the clubhouse and stay with them. Piney's already there." Jax jerked his chin at Tig, and the SAA came forward to bind the captive's wrists behind his back. "Mom, you and Josie stay there until we get finished."

Accepting a chaste kiss from Happy and a one armed squeeze from Tig, Josie let Juice take her bags out to the car. Climbing into the passenger seat, she reluctantly took the cigarette and lighter Gemma offered her. She had never developed an addiction to smoking, but needed something to calm her nerves on the way to her temporary home.

"You're holding up well."

Josie shrugged, "I'm just faking it till I can be alone."

"Honest little thing, aren't you?"

"I try to be." Josie gave her snorting laugh. "Makes it harder for people to believe that I would ever lie to them."

Gemma laughed and let her play with the radio the rest of the drive to Charming.

**Happy**

Kozik and Tig worked silently to drag the nearly unconscious man from the back of the windowless van and hang him from the engine hoist in the back of the Teller-Morrow garage. Happy silently filled a bucket with water and waited until the other men were clear before dousing the Mayan, jolting him back to reality. He began squirming and trying to stand on the tips of his boot toes.

"This is how shit's gonna go." Happy voice coiled around the silent men crowded into the cement room. "My prez there is gonna ask you some questions, and you're gonna answer them. If you don't, or if I think you're lying, or if I just decide I don't like you, I'm going to hurt you."

The sharp punch to the ribs brought a choking moan from the suspended man, and a raised brow from Chibs. Happy raised a brow of his own. "What? I don't like him."

Clay stepped forward, lighting a cigar as he moved. "Why were you after the girl?"

When the captive remained silent, Clay nodded at Happy. Stretching a pair of rubber tipped work gloves over his hands, Happy selected a bottle of sulfuric acid that could be used to recharge car batteries. Staring the man who broke into his girl's home and tried to hurt her in the eye, Happy tipped the bottle to pour the clear acid down the Mexican's denim-covered leg. When the man began to scream, Happy simply smiled and replaced the bottle on the shelf.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again," Clay managed to sound jovial, even as the smell of the man's burning flesh curled into the air. "Why were you after the girl?"

"They told us to!" The man's voice was high, the pain riding him hard.

Jax lit a cigarette and stepped forward to stand beside his stepfather. "Who?"

When there was no answer, Happy lowered the engine hoist, grabbed the prospect's right hand, and bit through his smallest finger. Spitting the severed digit out onto the cold floor, he smiled at the man's wail. Blood dripped between his teeth and tinged the saliva and oozed over his chin a livid pink.

The smell of urine now mixed with the stench of acid-burned skin, a dark spot spreading over the man's dirty jeans to drip onto his own snakeskin boot. "El Presidente! Alvarez!"

Happy pushed his finger into the hole left in his right bicep by Josie's bullet, wiggling it a bit and laughing at the answering shriek. Tig and Kozik both chuckled darkly before scowling at each other. Clay nodded at him to continue, and he began punching in earnest, taking great pains to split the man's lip as he had Josie's hours before. When Clay called a halt to his melee and asked for a reason, but received no answer, Happy smiled.

It was going to be a long, enjoyable night after all.

**Josie**

It had been four hours since the women left Josie's house. They had shared a few shots of Piney's best tequila to calm her nerves, wincing at the burn as it touched the split in her lower lip, before she retreated to Happy's dorm room. It was much the same as she had seen it the one time before, and she was gladdened to know that he wasn't a total slob.

While there were a few pieces of dirty laundry lying about, and the required porn and mechanics magazines, it was still rather clean and livable. Josie picked up and organized what she could, taking care not to disturb anything that looked important. That bit of cleaning done, there was nothing left to distract her from the reality of the situation.

Gathering her shower and hair products, she stepped into the small adjoining bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as she was going to be able to stand. The vintage waitressing uniform she wore had stains on it, but they weren't too big and not so bad that careful laundering wouldn't eradicate them almost entirely. She made a mental note to treat it carefully before stripping and unbraiding her hair.

Feeling something strangely gelatinous among the thick curls of her hair, she looked down and heaved. There were pieces of someone's brain in her hair. Throwing herself at the toilet, she managed to wrap her arms around the bowl as she lost what little contents she had in her stomach. When that was finished, she eased into the shower and brushed her teeth until the water pouring over her head ran clear as it swirled down the drain. Only then did she wash and condition her curls and scrub the rest of herself until she was a rosy pink all over.

After her shower, she had left her hair to air dry and curled up in the bed wearing her old Duluth Wildcats shirt from her old high school. It was threadbare in places, and sported holes from hundreds of washings in others, but it had always brought her comfort during hard times. While part of her wanted to look pretty and seductive while lying in Happy's bed for the first time, she decided that killing two men and wounding another gave her a pass on being girly for one night.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

It was 7:00 by the time Happy let himself in and moved silently to the shower. His hands were covered in blood, his shirt not much better. His cut had been spared when Jax stepped forward and offered to hold it for him while he worked. They had gotten the information they wanted, and a few more choice tidbits before he had grown bored and told Tig to finish the pathetic hunk of meat off so he could go see about his girl.

The shower was hot and thorough, with a small brush being employed to clean under his nails. He didn't want any part of what he had done to that asshole coming into the bedroom with him. His Josie had been through enough for one night, and he refused to add to the mountain of shit she was looking at. Seeing her apple scented shower gel and the flowery shampoo and conditioner sitting next to his industrial soap made him smile, and he hurried to finish.

Easing into the narrow bed, Happy wrapped his arm around Josie, pulling her into the cradle of his body. Josie blinked awake and sighed quietly, loving the warmth and comfort he offered her with his silent embrace. Turning, she smiled up into his intense brown eyes.

His thumb caressed her bottom lip, ghosting over the slight scab already formed in the right corner. He hated that she had been hurt, that she had spent even one minute frightened and fighting. Leaning forward, he tongued the spot of blood before tilting his head and kissing her so softly that Josie wouldn't have thought it possible.

"Happy?" Josie felt tears threatening to spill over at the care he was showing.

"Shhhhh." Uncertain of the fluttering in his chest, and having no idea how to handle what he was feeling, Happy didn't want to talk.

Maintaining eye contact with his tiny lover, Happy slid his hands under the old t-shirt she was wearing. Sliding the cotton over her head, he leaned forward and began placing open mouthed kisses along her collarbone and over the cluster of various small butterflies – shaded and shadowed until they appeared as if they were about to take flight – inked there. Then, he moved down the valley between her ample breasts. Caressing her breasts, he contented himself with long, dragging licks along her skin until he couldn't control himself any longer. Shifting, he took a nipple into his mouth and began to suckle.

Josie slid her arms around his shoulders and head, running her nails over the bristling hairs just barely beginning the break the skin there. When he switched to her other nipple, she let her thighs slide up over his, loving the feeling of his leg hair rubbing over her hairless skin. He was so sharp and strong while she was toned with soft skin and womanly curves, and she adored the differences between them.

"Mmmmm," Josie sighed and caressed down over his shoulders and upper back. "That feels so good."

Happy slid over her, kissing along her sides, paying attention to the simple statement '_It hurts to become_' written in a plain type face down her right side. Nipping and sucking at the skin over waist and hip, he let his fingers slip under the edge of her panties and drug them down her legs. His mouth pressed a single kiss to the center of her sex before he prowled back up her torso.

Opening the little foil packet, Happy slid the condom on while kissing along the front of her throat. "I'm gonna do this right."

Josie's eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Going to do what?"

"Don't wanna fuck you." He wanted something slower. Something more.

Before Josie could respond, Happy slid into her and stole the words along with her breath. Her head tipped back and her spine arched as he began to love her body with a slow roll of his hips and long, languid kisses. Josie's sighs and quiet moans spurred him on, and he found a rhythm that had her quivering and moving her hips up to meet his.

He refused to speed up, even as she urged him on. Growing frustrated, Josie opened her eyes and met his unwavering gaze. Suddenly, she was stuck. No force on earth could have forced her to look away from that intense, constant stare. As he continued his movements, she drew him closer so that his chest was pressed to hers.

Feeling the heat and pressure building quickly, Josie gave a whimpering sigh. "Gonna come, baby."

"Go ahead," Happy's grin was wide. "Not done with you, though."

Josie leaned up to capture his lips with her own and then sighed against him as she felt herself let go. It was soft, and it was quiet, and it was all the more intense because of it. And Happy was right there waiting for her when she came back down.

He was still moving in that slow, steady way with a single-minded determination that Josie had never seen before. When he shifted just a bit to the right and found a new angle, still not stopping or speeding his thrusts, another orgasm tiptoed down her spine and spiraled out from her center to engulf her body.

Burying his face in Josie's neck, Happy clenched his jaw against his own impending orgasm. Determined to bring her with him, he began stroking at her clit with determined movements. When her hands began flexing against his back, her nails raising goosebumps as she tried to keep them from sinking in, he sucked and nibbled at her earlobe.

"It's okay, little girl." His voice was another stroke to her already inflamed body. "You sink those nails in if you need to. I'm gonna cum, and you're cumming with me."

Josie's legs slid up over Happy's back, her knees nearly reaching his shoulder blades. The angle shift was just what she needed, and she came whispering his name like a prayer.

Happy's answering growl was a benediction.


	9. Mutual Satisfaction

_Shoutouts to some of my loyal reviewers: __**SOA loving mom, sillygabby, ozlady, **__and __**DanielleMJHB. **__Hope this lives up to expectations. __**LEMON WARNING: **__Things get a bit rough (though still VERY consensual) by the end. _

Josie woke up lying on Happy's chest, his heavy arm across her lower back pinning her in place. He was warm and firm, his heartbeat a comforting, steady beat beneath her ear. Their legs were tangled together, and she took a moment to slide the sole of her foot over the length of his calf muscle. His eye opened as she worked to disentangle herself from his embrace, and she took the time to kiss and settle him back to sleep before she pulled her shirt on and headed into the bathroom, taking note that it was nearly noon.

Locking the door behind her, she took care of her morning needs before gathering the dirty clothes and towels into a pile. Picking up the uniform she had been wearing the night before, the spatters of deep brown along the green of the bodice and white apron pulled a sob from her chest. Dropping the polyester garment, she held a towel over her mouth as sobs wracked her body and shook her shoulders. She wept for the lives she had been forced to take, and for the one the others had no doubt ended. She wept out the terror she had felt from the moment her back door had exploded until Happy walked through her door, somehow knowing that the Sons would have kept her safe, but Happy would die for her if necessary. Nothing and no one could touch her when Happy was there.

For half an hour, she allowed herself to curl up in a ball between the toilet and the side of the shower, weeping and sobbing like the scared woman she had wanted to be the night before, but knew needed to be contained.

After that, she washed her face and brushed her teeth before throwing on her workout shorts, a high impact sports bra, and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off that featured the silhouette of an assault rifle and the name _MURPH_. She had plans to find enough room to get a decent workout in. However, she needed to call in sick to work and to find some breakfast before she did anything else.

Half Sack had just been taking lunch orders for those members at the clubhouse, and he promised her that the diner in town served breakfast all day. Putting in an order for a four egg omelet with ham and cheese for herself and one for Happy as well as a large side order of bacon, Josie poured a cup of coffee from the pot behind the bar. A few of the guys were working in the garage, though most of them were sleeping off the unexpectedly late night.

Finishing her coffee, Josie pulled out her cell phone to call Sally's and beg off work. When she was able to talk with Debbie and convince the older woman that she was feeling too ill to come in that afternoon instead of dealing with Joshua or Lisa, Josie sighed gratefully. It was so much easier to deal with the friendly maternal woman than anyone else who worked at the diner.

By the time she had finished on the phone, Sack was back with her breakfast. He poured the two of them more coffee and then stared as she began to eat. There was nothing left in the little takeout container by the time she was finished, and Josie couldn't help but giggle as she directed him to keep Happy's warm. She ate a lot because training made her metabolism so fast that she'd want to eat her own feet every three or four hours. Letting the food sit for a few minutes as she drank a bottle of water and braided her hair so that it fell in one thick plait down her spine, Josie went in search of what she would need.

It wasn't until she caught sight of the sloped roof over the picnic tables that she smiled. Making her way over to Jax and Gemma, who were having a cigarette on the seemingly calm afternoon and laughing as Chibs and Kozik arm wrestled at the next table, she smiled her hello. She tried not to notice how many of the other men grew quiet as she drew near, knowing that word of Happy's claim and the events of the night before would cause some talk.

"Hello," Josie grinned and began stretching her arms and neck. "Would it be alright with ya'll if I had a bit of a workout out here?"

Gemma shook her head. "You shouldn't be leaving the lot."

"Oh, no, ma'am." Josie pointed at the lower end of the roof. "Just want to run a few laps of the lot and then use that bar there. Oh, and someone to help me keep count."

"You got it," Gemma rolled her eyes. "You gotta stop with this 'ma'am' shit."

Tig was scowling at her as he walked up to join the others, his hair making it obvious that he had just rolled out of bed. "What's with the shirt?"

"Oh, Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy made up this workout, and I figured I could use something a little scary to get my brain reset today." Turning, she let the assembled group read the back as she continued to stretch.

Leaning close, Jax read it out loud for the others. "1 mile run plus 100 pullups plus 200 pushups plus 300 squats plus 1 mile run equals 1 American Hero. Then it's got his name and dates. That's some hardcore shit."

"Yeah, but I've got the Beast in a little over a week, and I've been training for a while. I'm used to this sort of pain."

"Well, Half Sack will keep track of your numbers." Jax grinned at her nod and sauntered over to speak with Clay.

Deciding that she wasn't going to push her luck with trying to find the body armor or weighted vest that was recommended for authenticity, Josie began walking around the lot to measure out how many laps she'd need to cover in order to have her mile. The sun was hot on her shoulders, and she was glad she had remembered to bring a few extra bottles of water out with her. She was going to need them to stay hydrated.

"Need to get 18 laps to be a mile. I'm going to need you to keep track of how many laps I've done. Wave a rag when I've got one more to go." Waiting for the young prospect to nod his understanding, Josie grinned and began her jogging warmup.

Nearly the entire clubhouse and a few customers were standing around watching Josie as she came to the end of her last lap of the lot. Even though she had split the different exercises into more manageable sets, she refused to scale the workout for that day. She knew she needed the distraction and to focus through some pain in order to pull herself together. By the time she was finished with her first round, she had a few of the patched members for company.

She had given a chuckle when Happy came out of the clubhouse and immediately fell into step with her before she was even finished with her fourth lap. This drew Tig and Kozik in, and the two men were attempting to both keep up with the young woman leading their workout and to outdo each other. Before long, Jax and Opie had joined in, with the two of them attempting to order the prospect in as well. He was able to avoid taking part only because Josie told them he was her numbers keeper.

"One mile! Let's go!" Pulling out of her last squat, Josie immediately took off in a steady run. She laughed loudly at the men grumbling behind her. "C'mon, already! Suck it up, Buttercup!"

By the last lap, Josie wasn't surprised to see that Jax, Happy, and Kozik had made it through. She was a bit impressed that Opie and Tig had managed to hold on and complete the end of the workout with her. Most of the men either working at the garage or staying at the clubhouse were cheering as they came to a stop beside the picnic tables, and Josie flopped down on her back in the shade, trying to remember how to breathe and what her own last name was. Happy was sitting, shirtless and nearly gasping for every breath, next to her shoulder, and she could make out the others just past him.

"God damn, girl." He gave a wheezing chuckle. "You do that shit every day?"

"Not every day, but four days a week I do. Also run and do yoga." Rolling her head so that it flopped over in his direction. "And I generally don't do Murph unless I really need something else to focus on."

"You doin' okay with all this shit?"

"Yeah, I got sick last night and had a nice long cry this morning. Think I'm good now." Slowly pulling herself up to sit next to him, Josie sucked down a bottle of water in four long gulps.

"Thought you had taken off when you weren't in bed." His eyes glinted dangerously, and Josie had the feeling that he would have hunted her down and dragged her back to the clubhouse if that had been the case.

"No, just not used to sleeping all day." Planting a kiss to his salty neck, Josie sighed as Happy's scent tickled her senses. "I'm usually doing stuff in the morning and then working in the afternoon and evening."

"You know we need to talk about some shit, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Josie sighed. "Where do you want to do this?"

"My room work?"

Agreeing, she let him help her to her feet and followed him inside after telling the others what a good job they had done. They each got another bottle of water and kicked their shoes off before they settled onto the bed facing each other. Josie took a few sips before she cleared her throat and looked at him expectantly.

"You're not going back to work." It was an order, not a request, and Josie felt herself bristle. Happy saw the reaction and tried to justify his decision. "It's too dangerous."

"I want to work, Happy. I feel useless and crappy when I just sit around doing nothing."

Happy didn't want to see her upset or disappointed, but there was absolutely no way he was going to allow her to go back to that diner. The Mayans knew where she worked, had seen her riding in the truck with him when they went shopping. The prospect had sworn that no one knew that she was the one who told them about the guns, but he wasn't willing to bet her life on that piece of information. She was going to stay with him in Charming until he could make things safe for her.

"We'll find something you can do in Charming. Hell, maybe even around here."

Josie was shaking her head before he had finished speaking. "What about my house? Where am I supposed to stay?"

"What's wrong with here?"

"Aside from not having any privacy, a kitchen that may have been cleaned once since 1989, no readily available laundry facilities, and being surrounded by club whores constantly?" Curling her lip, Josie shook her head. "I'm not going to live here for some unnamed amount of time.

"What about if I rented a house down here and found someone to buy the cabin? It's in a really great place, and would probably sell okay." Josie nodded at his confused look. "I could rent a place here for the time being, and then go from there."

"Isn't there a lot of bullshit involved with selling a house? How would you afford rent without selling the house first?"

Josie smirked. "I'm not exactly strapped for cash. I'd be fine finding a place down here first and then cleaning out the house in Lockeford."

Happy felt his eyes narrowing at the girl, and he wanted to reach out and shake her by her shoulders. "What are you saying? That you can wait a while before looking for a job?"

"No. I'm saying I'm pretty loaded." Shrugging, she gave a small lopsided grin before ducking her head. "I don't like to talk about it, and it makes people weird sometimes, but my parents gave all their kids a trust fund when we turned 21, and they left me the vineyard and another property when they were killed."

"So, what?" He felt his scowl growing more and more pronounced.

"I was living in Lockeford because I liked the area and because, if I had moved back to the rest of my family in Georgia, then I would have probably just gone through life doing what my brothers expected me to do." Leaning forward, she stole the cigarette Happy had just begun to smoke and took a drag before handing it back. "I was working at the diner because I don't like to just sit around, and because I actually kind of enjoyed working with the people who came in to eat."

Happy nodded and began to turn these newest revelations over in his head. Remembering something from the diner that was much more important than how much money Josie had sitting in some bank, Happy growled lowly and leveled his stare onto her unusually green eyes.

"Just _how much _did you like working with that cook?"

Josie was confused by the changing of his tone. "What cook?"

"The big one. Called you _Jojo_, all friendly like."

"You mean Big John?" Josie had never had a romantic thought about the slightly older man who had started working at the diner nearly a year before, and was trying to figure out the change in Happy's demeanor.

"Yeah. Him."

"He started workin' at the diner about a year ago. Has a wife he married just out of high school and a little boy." Josie shrugged. "That's all I know."

Happy was starting to feel the warmth of his temper flaring. Was she deliberately avoiding the answer, or did she really not understand what he was asking? "You fuckin' him?"

"What?!" Josie surged to her feet, cheeks awash in an angry flush. "No!"

"Why'd he call you a stupid pet name, then?"

"The guys at the diner all started calling me JoJo after Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy. He was a sideshow freak with lots of hair."

That information only spurred him on more. "They're calling you a freak?!"

"Jeez, Happy, what is your deal right now?!" Josie's hands landed on her hips and gripped in order to keep them from flailing around as she spoke. "I'm friends with the people I work with every day, it's really not a big deal. Besides, what I did with guys before the two of us met should really not make you angry. I'm a healthy 23 year old woman, Hap. It may have been two years ago, but I did have sex before you."

Without saying a word, Happy stood and whipped his shirt over his head to land on the ground. Toeing his socks off, he began slipping the button of his jeans free. He smirked at Josie's confused scowl.

"What are you doing?"

Stepping out of his clothes, he walked the few feet to her completely naked. Wrapping her braid around his wrist, he jerked her against him and relished in her quiet moan as she felt his hard length against her stomach. He loved how absolutely tiny she was against him, how she had to crane her head back to look up at his height.

"I'm going to strip you down," his hands slid under her shirt and pulled it over her head before he rid her of her bra, smiling in approval as she toed out of her own socks. "Then, I'm gonna take you in the shower and prove that I'm the best you've ever had. Then, we're gonna go get your bike and fill that truck up with your shit."

"Oh, there's already no doubt about you being the best I've ever had." Pressing a kiss to his sternum just in front of her face as she shimmied out of her shorts and panties, she gave a long lick to the snake coiled menacingly there. "But I _do _love it when you show me."

With a bark of laughter, Happy leaned down to grasp her thighs. Lifting her, he grinned when she wrapped her shapely legs around his waist. She was wet already and looking at him as if he were some sort of hero.

As he strode into the bathroom with her wound around him, he decided that he could definitely get used to the feeling.

O:O:O:O:O:

Gathering her clothes and the most important things from the cabin had been easy, and even a little amusing at times. They had brought Half Sack, Kozik, Jax, and Opie along in order to get as much of the place cleaned out as possible, and she had been glad for it when she mentioned the two gun safes in the spare bedroom. They had decided to just take everything out of the safes and come back when she had a place for them. They'd keep the guns in storage until then.

With her bike strapped firmly to the back of the tow truck, and most of the house cleaned out, Josie called Joshua and told him that she could no longer work at the diner. He had been upset that she was leaving so suddenly, but there was never a shortage of women looking to work, and he wouldn't be short staffed for long. Calling and telling Debbie that she wouldn't be seeing her in a uniform again had been more difficult, as the older woman grilled her on the reasons before stating that if things didn't work out with 'that biker', that she would always have a place at the older couple's house.

Now, she stood in the dorm room she was sharing with Happy until she found a place of her own staring at suitcases and boxes stacked neatly in the corner. It was Friday. There would be a party after the men got out of Church that Happy had informed her she was expected to show up at.

She had roughly about two hours and no idea what to wear.

Scurrying out of the room and down the hall, she waved at Half Sack and two men who had recently gained status as hang-arounds as she swept through the main room. Her long skirts and floppy hats had caused more than a few chuckles from the men, but Happy liked the feminine lines and that she wasn't constantly on display. Gemma would only smirk and tell her that she used to have skirts like that.

The older woman was directing some of the more decent club girls on where to put food trays, and Josie waited patiently until she had a free moment before turning slightly panicked eyes on her. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to wear!"

"Wear something that Happy will like, that will show you off to his brothers a bit but not so much that they'll think you're a common slut, and that you'll be able to move in."

"Oh, will Happy be dancing?" She couldn't quite picture what that would look like.

Gemma snorted a laugh. "I've never seen that happen in all the years I'm known him. No, you'll need to be ready for some Croweater slut to try to move on your man. He won't encourage them, but it'll be up to you to put them in their place."

"I figured as much." Josie sighed and then began picturing the different outfits she could put together with what she had in the room. "I think I have just the thing though. Thank you!"

"No problem, darlin'." Winking, Gemma turned to greet a man lugging a cooler of meat up to the grill.

Josie smiled as she glided back through the clubhouse to her room. She needed to find just the right boxes and then locate a certain dress she never thought she'd actually wear. If she was going to make her official clubhouse debut, she was going to do it right.

Not quite two hours later, Josie was putting the final touches on her hair when she heard music begin to play through the speakers. Knowing that had to be a sign that the men would be coming out of Chapel soon, she stepped away from the full length mirror she had leaned against the wall. She thought she had managed to find something that would satisfy Gemma's requirements.

The dress she wore was a decadent scarlet chiffon concoction that fell from satin spaghetti straps to slightly above mid-thigh. A thin, black leather belt cinched it at her waist, giving it shape and a slightly flared look around the bottom. A cropped black leather jacket gave it some edge and separated the red of the dress from the lighter red of her hair, which she left to curl down her back held away from her face by a few simple and sweet black bows. Her black patent leather Louboutins added nearly five inches to her height and had little red maryjane straps that ended in bows. Her eyes were lined in black while her lips matched her dress, giving her makeup a touch of old Hollywood glamour.

The main room was crowded with girls in various states of undress and a lot of random men hoping to someday wear the Reaper on their backs when Josie entered. Half Sack was at the bar, and he grinned widely at her as she stepped up to an empty space. A few of the girls were already giving her disapproving or hostile glares.

"Could I trouble you for a Jack and Coke? With just a bit of ice."

The scruffy prospect grinned. "When a pretty girl asks for a drink, it's no trouble at all."

"You better watch yourself." Josie wasn't so sure Happy would appreciate the man's tone. "Happy would be decidedly _unhappy_ if you started flirting with me.'

"I wasn't!" He hurried to get her drink, adding a few pieces of ice. "He's got eyes. He's gotta know that he has the best looking girl in the room."

Josie's reply was cut short as the doors to the Chapel opened and a cheer went up as Clay led the men into the room. Accepting the beer Sack handed her, Josie worked her way through the throng of revelers to find her man standing with Kozik and a man she didn't recognize.

Happy had listened as Kozik and Bowie, who had arrived that afternoon, detailed some of the problems the Tacoma chapter had been facing with some drug dealers who refused to play by the rules. The assholes were targeting school kids, and that was something they couldn't ignore. It was decided that Happy would return to SAMTAC with Kozik the next morning to handle the situation. After he convinced them to fall in line or get out, he would come back to Charming, as Clay wanted him close while they were dealing with the Mayans.

As the club's patched members left Church, he looked around the room for his girl. When she stepped through the crowd, he didn't even bother trying to fight back his grin. Josie looked more amazing than any other woman in the place could even try. When he caught Bowie's low whistle and Kozik's muttered 'damn', he accepted the beer she handed him and pulled her into a hard, claiming kiss.

Tucking her against his side, he turned her to face the others. "This is Bowie. Came down from Tacoma this afternoon."

"Hello, Bowie," Josie smiled at the other man and then looked up at Happy. "Have to leave for a bit?"

Nodding, he grinned. "Need to go teach some pushers that little kids are off limits."

"Okay," Josie gave a shrug to cover her sigh. "You don't have to leave tonight, do you?"

"No ma'am," Kozik spoke for them all. "We'll have to take off pretty early tomorrow morning."

"Good, because I did _not _just spend two hours getting ready only to wipe it all off and hand in the room."

Catching her comment as he came to join them around the pool table, Jax chuckled. "What, you wouldn't hang with the rest of us?"

"Not at a Friday club party." Josie shook her head and sipped her drink carefully. "Not without Happy!"

Watching the younger man rack up the balls, Happy rewarded her with a gentle squeeze around her waist. "Good girl."

When Josie saw that his beer was nearly empty, she asked if he needed a new one. There were girls bringing drinks for the others, so she didn't offer to get anymore, and went to the bar to retrieve what Happy had asked for. There were a number of people crowded around, she it took her a few minutes to get the amber bottle and return to her group.

While she had seen two girls with skirts barely covering their backsides tottering past her at the bar, she had not expected to return to find one attempting to wrap herself around Happy. His back was to Josie as he rebuffed the bottle blonde and went to take his shot. Josie worked her jaw, drew herself up to her full height, and let her hips sway just a bit more than necessary as she slinked up to Happy at the table.

"Here you go," Josie smiled as Happy wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. "We just hangin' in here?"

"Nah, gonna climb in the ring with Kozik in a bit." Happy let his hand slide down to curl over the curve of her butt, moving his fingers to feel the filmy material rub under his fingers. "Come watch."

"Wouldn't miss it."

Josie spent the next hour watching Happy and his brothers shoot pool and tease each other before they decided to give up the pool table in favor of seeing what was going on out on the lot. A large man with no hair and a huge beard was grilling burgers, and Happy sent her off to get a plate with a smile and a sharp slap to her hind end. She piled two heavily lined, disposable plates with two burgers, potato salad, and baked beans. Holding both plates in her left hand, a trick learned from years of carting plates in the diner, she nabbed two beers from an ice bucket on her way back to where Happy was sitting at the picnic table.

"You gonna eat all that?" Bowie grinned at the second plate she carried.

Josie shrugged as she perched next to Happy, putting her beer on the table behind her and sitting so her knees weren't under the wood. By the time she was finished with her first burger and had started in on the beans, she realized that no other women were eating. Before she could decide if she had made some sort of faux pas, she heard Happy chuckling.

"I like a girl who fucking eats when she's hungry." Happy quirked a grin at Josie's smile. She was just too goddamned cute sometimes.

Moving on to her second burger, Josie grinned. "Well, I'm definitely not into starving."

Just after Happy finished his beer, Tig came by to let him know they'd be meeting in the ring next. Depositing Josie next to Gemma, Happy stripped off his cut and shirt. Grinning at the way she ran her eyes over his exposed flesh, he planted a possessive on her lips before circling the ring to climb in after his friend.

"Glad to see things are going well." Gemma smirked at the younger woman. "Nice outfit."

"Thank you."

Gemma was silent as the two men were introduced and began circling each other. "Want to go see Able with me tomorrow? We can go see a few houses after."

Josie was shocked that she had been invited, but recovered quickly. "That would be great. I'd like to stop on the way and get a few books to read him.

"We'll go after they leave in the morning."

Plans made, Josie settled in to watch as Happy and Tig threw punches at each other's bodies and faces. The two men fought each other well, and were obviously well matched. When Tig managed to land a particularly sharp blow to the other man's ribs, she stood to yell her displeasure. Happy's return punches were aimed at Tig's ribs before catching him with a hammerlike uppercut. Josie cheered gleefully and called for him to throw some more.

By the time Bobby climbed into the ring to call a stop to the stalemate, Josie felt herself throbbing, her breaths coming in fast bursts. Excusing herself from Gemma's company, she skirted the ring and made her way around to where he was climbing down the steps. She was nine feet away when a sharp tug on her hair jerked her to a stop.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, bitch?" The blonde who had been trying to hang on Happy earlier stood in front of her, a towel in her hand and a smirk on her overly made-up face. "Bitches have to go through me and the girls before they can come around for a party."

"Oh, bless your heart. You're just confused." Planting the most welcoming and sweet smile she could muster on her face, Josie stepped closer to the woman. "I'm not a club whore. Your position is safe on that one. I'm with Happy."

"No one is _with _Happy. He's fair game."

"Not. Any. More." Josie shook her head and laid Happy's cut and shirt on the edge of the ring apron before she stepped closer to the other woman. "Bitch."

Josie was ready for the blonde to swing, and had even braced herself for the slap. She needn't have prepared herself, however, as the hit was more of a tap than the blow she was expecting. Grasping the other woman by the front of her low-cut top, Josie yanked her forward and landed two quick punches to her jaw and nose.

Stooping down to where the other woman was lying, dazed, on the asphalt, Josie made sure to keep her knees together and her voice level. "Stay away from Happy, tell the others to stay away from him, or I'll hand you your ass."

Tossing the towel the woman had dropped back at her, Josie smiled sweetly. "Clean yourself up, sweetie. You look a fright."

It was only after Josie had stood and picked up Happy's clothes that she realized she was the center of attention. Tig started a slow clap that spread quickly around the small crowd that had managed to see and hear what was going on between the two women. When Happy laughed loudly, she completed a small curtsey and held his things out for him.

Ignoring the shirt, he slung his leather over his shoulders and grasped her hand in his. Turning, he pulled her along behind him as he strode quickly through the clubhouse. By the time they made it to the hallway leading to the room, Josie was wondering how much trouble she was going to be in. Happy had laughed, but he hadn't said a word or looked at her since.

Happy was trying to convince himself that he had to wait until he got to his room to get inside his little redhead. Seeing her beat that annoying slut down had him hotter than he had been in years. That Josie had warned the woman off and told her to tell the others not to approach him was an unexpected aphrodisiac, her desire to claim him mirroring his own need to keep her to himself.

Wrenching the door open, Happy pulled her in after him. Shoving her against the door as soon as it was closed, he fed at her mouth with teeth and tongue until she whimpered and opened for him. Shoving her jacket down her arms, he trapped her wrists in the leather behind her back and used his hips to pin her in place. Sliding the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders, he revealed a bra that was nothing but sheer frills and delicate lace, all in stunning black.

"Jesus Christ, little girl." Yanking the belt free, the dress hit the floor, and Happy's breath left his body.

Josie stood before him in nothing but that sheer bra, a pair of lacy shorts that revealed more than they hid, and those sky high heels. Shoving the coat to the ground to free her arms, he unhooked the bra and began suckling and biting at her breasts as he dropped it to the floor. His hand found her center through the lace shorts, the wetness of her arousal coating his fingers.

"Gonna fuck the hell out of you."

Josie's hips undulated at his words, her mouth falling open on a long moan. She tried to reach for him, but he refused to let her remove his cut. When his fingers pushed the shorts over the swell of her hips so that they piled on the wood beneath them, she didn't hesitate to step out of them. The heels she wore remained on, and Happy pulled a condom out of his wallet before he freed himself from his jeans.

Josie found it extremely erotic to be so naked and vulnerable while he was in everything but the shirt she had dropped inside the door. Her bare breasts were tipped in tight buds and being framed in the black leather of his cut. The feel of his denim covered thigh pressing against her as he wedged her legs open drew a cry of pleasure from her ruby lips.

Rolling the latex down his length, Happy wrapped her legs around his hips as he lifted her off the floor. "I wanna feel those bitch heels digging into me girl."

"Oh, God!" Josie was wild with the need for him, wanting nothing more than the man holding her against the door to impale her. "Happy, please!"

"What do you want, babygirl?" Happy's growl sent another tremor through the woman in his arms. "Tell me."

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders and angling her legs to dig her heels into the back of his thighs, Josie leaned forward to put her lips right against his. "I want you to take that bad boy dick and fuck me against this door hard enough to break it."

"Oh yes I will."

Shoving into her with one hard thrust, Happy exalted in her shout of pleasure. When she immediately clenched around him, he managed to hold still until she finished that first orgasm. He was going to make her scream his name so everyone would know to whom she belonged.

"You . . . were . . . so fucking . . . hot out there . . . beating that . . . bitch's ass." Hard thrusts punctuated his words, and the door rattled every time their hips hit it. "Wanted to have you right there."

Josie was whimpering, her mewls and moans spurring the man between her legs on. "Wanted . . . them to . . . know . . . that you're mine."

"Look at me, Josephine." Happy smiled when her eyes snapped open to meet his. "Tell me who this pussy belongs to."

"Go, God," Happy had picked up speed. "You. Belongs to you."

"And who do you belong to, babygirl?"

His thrusts were coming faster now, her clit being rubbed and pressed by his pubic bone in this angle. Letting her head rest against the door as she tried to maintain eye contact, she managed a groan. "You."

"Say my name, little girl."

"Happy. . ." She moaned slightly louder as her legs tensed and her back arched under his assault.

"Louder, girl." He bit at her shoulder and neck, marking her lightly. "Want to hear you scream when you cum all over me."

That did it. His voice in her ear, the little bits of pain from his bites, the pleasure of him so roughly taking her, and the direct clitoral stimulation all swirled together and magnified each other. Josie arched so far that her shoulders were the only part of her body still touching the door, her hands grasped at Happy's cut, and she screamed his name.

Happy followed right behind her with a groan and a chuckle of pure male satisfaction.


	10. A Move Toward Permanence

_So glad I got this out tonight! Merry Christmas to those celebrating, and thanks for reading!_

Happy woke Josie with kisses and soft caresses three times that night. He was insatiable, and Josie reveled in his nearly constant need for her. Each round was gentler than the one before, until the fourth and last time they joined together was a soft shifting of hips and nearly silent moans. When he held her a little more tightly each time, winding his arms around her and settling protectively between her slumberous body and the door, she chose not to mention it.

Sliding from the bed an hour before Happy's alarm was set to wake him, Josie took a shower and got ready for her day. Knowing she would be going to the hospital and then looking at rental properties with Gemma in what promised to be a very hot afternoon, she decided to dress for comfort. Also wanting to look good for Happy, she went with a simple sundress in a pretty light green. Cotton with spaghetti straps and a band under the bust, the flared skirt ended just under her knees where it swirled with each step and flirted with the breeze. A pair of brown, strappy, wedge sandals and a wide brimmed, floppy sun hat in a sunshiney yellow completed the outfit.

She managed to make a quick run to the small grocery store down the street for basic supplies as well as a skillet and spatula. Returning to the clubhouse, she stepped over a naked Tig who had not managed to get the three blondes who were equally dressed to a room before they collapsed. Averting her eyes before she got to know him a little too well, she giggled as she saw Chibs cuddling with a nearly empty bottle of Jameson on top of the bar. Carrying her bags into the kitchen, she was pleased to see that it wasn't nearly as nasty as she had thought, and she set about making a full breakfast.

By the time Happy, Kozik, and Bowie walked into the main room, Chibs and Tig had woke up and slumped at the bar to watch as Josie carried a stack of paper plates and plastic utensils out to them and went back to the kitchen without saying a word. When she returned, it was to see that Half Sack had joined the others and was busy cleaning up the trash and empty bottles from around the room. Placing a huge bowl of scrambled eggs on the counter, she kissed Happy softly before going back for the platters of French toast, sausage, and bacon.

"This looks great." Happy was piling two plates with food. "Thanks."

Josie smiled softly as she sat syrup and a pitcher of sweet tea on the bar before filling coffee cups for the men. "Wasn't gonna let ya'll ride out on empty stomachs."

"Could get used to this." Chibs chuckled as he dug into his food.

"I would've made biscuits and gravy, but didn't want to lug the flour. And I wasn't sure about anyone's opinion on grits." Josie accepted her plate from Happy with a grin and then noticed that there was still plenty left. "Half Sack, come eat."

"Ma'am?" He looked around, obviously a bit confused by the invitation. "I'm supposed to get this cleaned up before I do anything else."

"It's an insult to turn down a girl's cookin'." From the corner of her eye, Josie watched as Happy, Tig, and Chibs all shifted to stare the younger man down. "You gonna insult me so early in the mornin'?"

Propping the broom against the side of a couch, he hurried to fill a plate and sit beside Chibs. "This all looks really good. Thank you."

"So what are you up to today? Gonna lay around while Happy's with us in Tacoma?" Kozik grinned at her around Happy's shoulder.

Shaking her head, Josie smiled as she took some more bacon off the platter. "Going to the hospital with Gemma to meet little Abel. Then, there are a few houses for rent that I'd like to look over. I'd like to log a some running time as well."

"Take someone with you to look at houses and when you run." Happy's rasp was quiet, but it carried in the stillness of the morning. "Two women poking around empty houses isn't safe."

"I'll go wi' the wee ladies to look a' houses." Chibs offered. "Least I can do for such a good breakfast."

"Thank you, Chibs. We'll stop back here after the hospital."

Half Sack cleared his throat quietly. "I can run with you if you want. Might not be able to do more than a few miles, though. Haven't run since I was discharged."

"We'll trade off or something." Tig shrugged at the others' confused looks. "Running isn't the worst thing ever, and this food is good."

"Thanks, guy. It really means a lot to me." Turning back to Happy, Josie frowned in thought. "I was going to check out one of the Baptist churches tomorrow. Should I make someone go with me to that as well?"

Happy shifted a bit in his seat, uncertain if he was being paranoid. She was in Charming, not miles outside its borders, and she had spent years out on her own. Making a decision, he shook his head.

"You don't need to drag someone to church."

Chuckles from the others were followed by some light teasing over the rest of breakfast. Josie was refilling their coffee cups for the third time when Gemma and Clay came through the front door of the clubhouse. Looking over the empty platters, the older woman raised an eyebrow until Josie explained that she wanted to feed Happy before he left. At that, Gemma winked and told Half Sack to wash the dishes after he finished with the usual cleaning.

Walking Happy out to his bike, Josie was glad when Kozik and Bowie excused themselves to say a second goodbye to a grinning Clay and Chibs. Happy slung his saddlebags over his bike and made the necessary adjustments while Josie stood quietly beside the front fender. That finished, he mounted the seat and motioned her forward. At this angle, she had to lean down to give him a long, slow kiss goodbye. The brim of her hat hid them from view.

"You be careful." Josie held his gaze meaningfully.

"Don't worry," Happy chuckled. "I got this."

"I know you do, but I'm gonna worry anyway." Josie shrugged. "Let me know if there are problems, okay?"

"You want details?" Happy was aware that Kozik and Bowie were moving toward them now.

Josie grinned. "I'm thinking that we both know where this is heading, and that I'll be getting all the details at some point soon. 'Til then, I just want to know if you're heading into something dangerous. Lets me prepare."

Happy nodded, deciding to think about what she had said over the next few hours on the road. "Could be hairy, but I don't think it'll be too bad."

"Okay then," Josie gave a firm nod and then a wink. "I'll see you when you get back, big guy."

"You call me if anyone gives you shit, little girl."

With another quick kiss and a smile, Josie waved the three bikers on their way and turned to see Gemma giving her an appraising look. "What?"

"Night of sex, a great breakfast for him and the guys, and a cute little goodbye." Gemma smirked as she counted off on her fingers. "Trying to give him something to remember when he gets to Tacoma?"

"We have an understanding about runs, and he isn't the sort to go back on his word. Just lettin' him know he ain't findin' anything better than me." Josie shrugged and straightened her hat. "Are we ready to head to the hospital?"

Gemma nodded and gestured to the building. "Get your purse."

O:O:O:O:O:O:

The hospital visit had been quiet and uneventful, though Josie had to contain a gasp of dismay upon seeing the tiny baby boy in the little warming bed. When Gemma informed her that he was looking much healthier now then he had upon his birth, she had to hold herself very still until the urge to find his mother and beat her passed. How could a woman do this to such a precious little being?

After sitting with the unusually quiet boy for a few hours and reading him the books they had stopped to buy, the two women stopped by the clubhouse to collect Chibs. As it turned out, Tig decided that riding his bike on 'bitch duty' wasn't the worst idea he had ever heard, and he joined their little band. Josie thought it was cute that the older men were feeling so protective of her.

"It's because you're a good woman, and you take care of them." Gemma smirked at the younger girl's puzzled look. "They think of you as family already."

"I do like them very much, though I think Tig might have been a little scary as an uncle."

The two shared a laugh as they pulled up in front of the first house on their list. One look at the falling gutters and overgrown front yard had them frowning at each other and pulling away without comment. The second house looked in better repair, but Gemma nixed it on account of there being a white hate leader living half a block away. Josie decided to trust her on that one, and they went from house to house for another hour until they pulled into the driveway of a mid-sized home set on a partially wooded lot a few minutes outside of town.

There was a bank sign in the front yard with a phone number for interested parties to call, and Gemma began dialing as soon as they were out of the car.

The house was classic white with light brown shingles, a porch wrapping three whole side of the structure with space for a swing just left of the front door and a whole set table and chairs at the corner. It was two stories, with bay windows forming a turret that had Josie's inner Disney princess doing a little excited dance. Two chimneys bespoke of fireplaces somewhere within.

"It's a bank foreclosure. I went to high school with the agent in charge of the property, and he's willing to come out to see us here even though it's Saturday." Gemma pointed to a little rock garden at the bottom of the porch steps. "You boys see if you can find one of those little fake rocks with a key inside."

Chibs was soon victorious, and they let themselves into what would prove to be a beautiful house. A dining room with a fireplace was to the right, a very large living room to the left, dominated by a double-sided fireplace on the far wall. The room behind the fireplace would make a lovely den. A breakfast nook lay across from the front door, separated by a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. The kitchen sat between the nook and the formal dining room, its open shelves waiting for dishes and a walk in pantry calling out for jars and bags. A door off the kitchen opened into a mud room that would house a washer and dryer along with some storage space and a spot for boots or coats and opened into a two car garage.

"Good lord, this is amazing!" Josie was already picturing her small kitchen table in the breakfast nook, her dishes in the kitchen shelves. The garage was large enough for two bikes and a truck. "I'm gonna head upstairs."

"Bitch, I'm coming too!" Gemma giggled and ran for the steps a second after Josie made a break for them.

There were three bedrooms upstairs, and Josie was in love with them all. The first laid to the right of the top of the stairs, and featured a small walk-in closet. The second lay at the front of the house, a bit larger and with a bigger closet. The two shared a bathroom with a Jack and Jill sink between them.

The door to the master bedroom opened into a small sitting area formed by the bay windows at the front of the house. A fireplace took up half of the far wall. A private bathroom sat next to an L-shaped walk-in closet that looked like it wrapped around the wall at the head of the stairs. Josie's gun safe would fit perfectly in the corner of the room, though she thought she would need a bigger bed.

"Jesus, this place is huge." Gemma was looking out the bay windows, the early afternoon light just beginning to peak through the windows.

Josie nodded and went to stand with her. "Isn't it just prettiest thing?"

"Don't know that they'll rent it." Gemma gave the smirk that Josie was beginning to recognize meant she was trying to figure out how to work a situation in her favor.

Josie grinned. "Hell, I may just buy it."

"I'm happy to hear that!" The man belonging to the puffing weeze reminded Josie of Homer Simpson, though with a bit more hair greying along the peripheral. "Hello, Gemma. How are we doing this fine summer afternoon?"

"_We_ are doing just fine." Gemma smiled and nodded at Josie. "Jason Andrews, this is my friend, Miss Josephine Allaway."

Josie drew herself up to her full stature, grateful for the wedges that made her a much more normal height, and extended a hand to the still puffing and slightly pink man. "Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Andrews."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Allaway."

He gave her the sort of soft smile she had been receiving from older men since she was sixteen. They always saw her as soft and sweet, and she was not above using their obvious paternal instincts to get what she wanted. It was, in Josie's mind, their own fault for underestimating her.

"What can you tell me about the house and property?" Josie caught sight of Tig, who had followed the other man up the stairs and was lounging against the railing.

Pulling himself together as he shuffled through some papers in a folder, he began listing off the attributes of the house. "It sits on 3 ½ acres, some of it quite wooded, and butts up against the national forest. The house has the three bedrooms and three full baths and is 2,406 square feet total. The ceilings are all 9 feet high, except for the sunken family room, which has a 10 foot ceiling. There is a 2 car, attached garage, a wine cellar in the basement, and an attic for storage."

"When were the last inspections completed?"

"Just last month, though we took possession of it five months ago." Handing her the findings, the portly man chuckled. "Absolutely nothing wrong with the house or property."

"Are you willing to rent? And, if not, what sort of price am I looking at?" Josie continued to look over the papers in her hand, tilting them to catch the sunlight streaming through the windows.

"We are not currently interested in becoming landlords." Referring to the papers in his hand once more, Mr. Andrews sniffed. "The bank is asking $248,000 for the house and land collectively."

Chibs whistled quietly from his spot beside Tig.

Josie smiled. This wasn't her first rodeo. "And what was the bank's original loan?"

"$112,000," mopping at his brow in the stagnant heat of the house, the property manager had begun to look a little worse for wear.

"I'm willing to go $117,600." Josie ignored the gasps and stares of the others, focusing instead on her current opponent. "That's what you paid out plus five percent. We both know you're losing money with it just sitting here, and you won't get much more if you take it to auction."

Mr. Andrews sighed heavily, his shoulders heaving under the weight. "Let me talk to my manager on Monday and see if that would be satisfactory."

"If you're willing to talk with him now, I can have a cashier's check or cash to you by this time Monday." When he began to dial his phone, Josie turned to the others while motioning toward the stairs. "Let's all retreat to the front porch where we can get some air while he talks, shall we?"

Gemma waited until they were standing on the wide, covered porch before she turned to the younger woman. "What the hell was that?"

"I want this house. It's lovely, in a good spot, and I just adore it." Josie shrugged and leveled a smirk back at the older woman. "I'm not in the habit of not getting whatever it is that I want."

Throwing her head back, Gemma laughed. "Oh, I think the two of us are going to get along just fine, darlin'."

"What if you end up not wanting to stay?" Tig lit up a cigarette while they waited.

Josie shrugged. "The house and property are worth far more than I offered. I could always resell it after the market straightens itself out."

By the time Mr. Andrews thudded back down the stairs, Josie had explained to Gemma and the others about her parents and the money she wielded. Tig had grinned as asked how happy she was with the Nomad enforcer. Chibs wondered if he could make use of the spare room from time to time. Gemma had nodded slowly and smiled knowingly.

"Well, it looks like we have a deal." Thrusting out his hand, the round man looked more like a cartoon character than an actual person. "Come by the bank on Monday, as we'll have the deed and all appropriate papers for you to sign."

Containing her reaction to the bank's easy acceptance, Josie graciously shook his hand and allowed him to lock up the house, even though she desperately wanted to start moving in right away. Wishing him a good afternoon, they saw him off before deciding a late lunch was in order. After all, Josie and Gemma had decorating and a housewarming to discuss.

**Happy**

Happy spent the long hours of uninterrupted riding to think. The nearly twelve hour trip was made slightly longer by their need for gas and the occasional meal. Neither of the other two were used to the hours Happy put in, and so he was forced to make concessions for their lack of stamina. He did smirk and let them know that his longevity was greater than theirs, as one couldn't be expected to let that sort of thing go.

By the time they pulled into the lot for the Tacoma clubhouse, he was ready for a few drinks and to feel the joy of a seat that wasn't vibrating. Kozik had a blonde under each arm before he took three steps off his bike, and Bowie wrapped an arm around a giggling brunette. Happy allowed a tall blonde to loop her arm around his waist, but shrugged her off to go fetch him a whiskey while he talked over the situation he had been called in for with Lee.

"These assholes think they can come into our city and start dealing to little fuckin' kids." The Tacoma chapter president shook his head and sipped his beer lightly. "I ain't putting up with that shit, and none of the guys here have the experience that you do in dealing with these pieces of shit."

Happy nodded and then accepted the glass of whiskey the blonde handed him. "Need to show force. Put them in their place. Not so hard that they think they need to retaliate, but hard enough that they get the message."

"Exactly!" Lee agreed and grasped his shoulder firmly. "I know it's been a long day for you guys. Take a load or two off, relax, and then hit it tomorrow. We've got a lot of intel on where they hang and deal."

When the blonde slid into his lap, Happy barely noticed. He had been thinking hard on what Josie had said before he left, and knew that she had a point. They were headed toward Old Lady-ville at breakneck speed and without a thought of hitting the breaks. He knew he didn't want anyone else to touch her, and that he would torture and kill anyone who tried. He realized that he wanted more than just to be the only one to have sex with her, however. Happy wanted to make Josie . . . happy. He loved her smile and the soft, joyful tinkle of her laughter, and wanted to do everything he could to bring that out more.

A movement on his lap barely registered until a small hand began to rub and caress him through his pants. Happy groaned and let himself relax, just barely hanging on to the top of his whiskey glass as it dangled from a loose hand over the arm of the stuffed leather chair. A nice rub down and a good session of some premium grind would do wonders after such a long day of riding.

Sliding his hand up the arm attached to that rubbing, teasing hand, Happy slid his hand along hair that barely grazed the woman's shoulders. Jerking upright, Happy nearly spilled the Croweater onto the floor as his semi-erect penis deflated faster than a blown tire. Staring at the woman for a moment, he tried to decide what it was about the all-too-common situation that had bothered him so greatly.

Her hair was too short, and the wrong color. Her hands were too soft with no calluses from weight bars and pushups. Her arms were slim, but completely without tone.

He didn't want any of that.

He wanted strawberry blonde hair that fell to creamy white thighs. He needed the hands that touched and caressed him to be roughened in some spots from hard work. He wanted a girl who could laugh at Tig's dirty jokes and then blush when someone called her pretty. He wanted rough sex against doors and long, sweet kisses tangled in sheets. He wanted breakfast for his brothers before they rode out with him and someone to be there to wash the blood off his cut when he got home. He wanted joyous laughter and quiet chuckles.

He wanted Josie.

Without a word to the woman now standing before him, he finished his drink and headed to the room he had been given during his stay. His phone was in his hand before he had unlocked the door, and it was ringing by the time he sunk down on the bed. When Josie's sweet voice tickled down the line, he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Sugah." Josie giggled and shut herself in their room. She had been cleaning the clubhouse kitchen when he called, in need of something to occupy her mind. "How was the trip? Did you make it in okay? Are they treating you good up there?"

The obvious concern in her voice had Happy hard and aching before he registered the tingling in his abdomen. Letting himself fall back on the bed with a groan, he toed his boot off. "Trip was fine. No bad weather or Mayans to fuck it up. Really just got in about half an hour ago. Talked to Lee, the Prez here, and had a drink."

"Thought you'd be too busy to call me." Josie fought hard to keep the hurt and uncertainty out of her voice, and was mostly successful. "I was gonna text you goodnight when I was ready to turn in, but didn't want to bother you otherwise."

"Nah, never too busy for you unless bullets are flying." Happy chuckled darkly. "What are you wearin' to bed?"

Josie giggled and began slipping off her sandals and sundress. "Well, I was gonna wear one of your huge t-shirts."

"There are clean ones in my drawer."

Josie snorted. "What's the point in wearing your shirt if it doesn't even smell like you?"

Something about the thought of Josie wearing nothing but a pair of her tiny panties and his shirt to bed had him breathing heavy and shucking his pants. "Want my smell all over you?"

"Well, of course. I love the way you smell." Josie giggled, not remembering the last time she had had so much fun on the phone. "First, though, I'll have to finish getting this bra off…"

Happy groaned and proceeded to tell her how she should take it off, and then what she should do with her hands.

By the time Happy hung up, it was hours later and to the sounds of Josie's gentle snores.


	11. Fun and Not-So-Fun Town

_I've taken some liberty with the timeline here, and Wendy woke up earlier than in the show. I have also taken some liberty with the Tacoma members and associated people. Happy gets a little happy, and Josie shows off some acting chops._

Church had been an interesting experience for Josie that morning, with the older women studying her clothes and the younger women trying to decide if she was there for any of the limited available men. The children were all in their Sunday best with harried mothers attempting to keep them quiet while the fathers went about their duties as collection plate passers or prayer leaders. Josie enjoyed singing with the congregation, and the pastor was a good man with a heavy southern accent. He and his wife made a point to shake her hand and let her know when all the prayer meetings and different groups would meet that week.

When she pulled into the clubhouse, Josie was forced to park a bit further away than usual. There were five bikes on the lot that she did not recognize, and there were two in her normal spot. Each had large saddlebags with some also sporting bedrolls. A heavy layer of dust and road grime coated the paint on each, and Josie made a mental note to have Half-Sack wash them down. She was nearly across the main room of the clubhouse and headed for the kitchen when a low whistle drew her attention and quieted the group of men sitting and standing at the bar.

The whistler was a short, well-built man with tribal tattoos running up both arms. His head was shaved clean, though he sported a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. Brown eyes ran over Josie's capped-sleeved, tea length navy blue dress and white heels before landing back on her face.

"Hey, sweet thang." He gave her a grin that said he knew where he would be spending the rest of his afternoon. "Why don't you swing those hips right around this way?"

"My name is Josie," Josie shook her head with a smile. "And I don't think Happy would like that very much at all."

"Aye, that would cause some problems." Chibs chuckled from his spot at the end of the bar, "he wouldn't. 'Ave ye been ta church all mornin', lovey?"

Smiling at the Scotsman, Josie nodded and slipped her wide, white church hat off. "Tell me ya'll ain't doing shots before breakfast."

Tig shrugged and swallowed the clear contents of his glass. "No one offered to cook."

"Well, excuse me for having things to do!" Josie giggled. "I'm gonna fix myself something to eat if you want anything. Praying for all ya'll takes a lot out of a girl."

Turning to the new comers, Josie mustered a sweet smile. "You guys hungry?"

"Yeah, we could eat." A large man with long hair and a tank top under his cut gave a wry smile as he laid a phone on the bar beside an empty glass. "You Happy's old lady?"

"I'm Happy's something." Josie smiled impishly and resumed her trek into the kitchen where she had ordered Half-Sack to place some basic supplies the night before.

When her response was answered with chuckles and inaudible comments, Josie grinned and began beating eggs to make French toast.

**Happy**

Happy was cleaning his guns and formulating a tentative plan to deal with the drug dealers who thought Tacoma's elementary schools were their personal client list when his phone dinged with an incoming text message. Finishing with the barrel of the Springfield Armory 9mm in his hands, he wiped his fingers and flipped open his phone to open a text from Quinn, the Nomad president, revealing a picture of Josie standing in the clubhouse, a pretty blue dress bringing out the soft red of her hair. She was looking off to the side as if she were talking to someone and unaware that her photo was being taken.

'_Doe this belong to YOU?!' _

Happy scowled and hit the button that would call his Prez and longtime friend.

"Why you taking pictures of my girl?"

"So these assholes weren't bullshitting us?"Quinn's voice held a chuckle and he had to hush the men around him before he could continue. "Coon hit on her before we knew, says he's sorry."

Happy felt a feral grin sliding over his face. "Tell that asshole to keep himself in check, or I'll find something real fun to do to him."

"Well, shit, Hap. Not like there's a way for a brother to tell. She ain't sporting a crow."

Happy's mind went to the croweater the night before, and his reaction to Josie's concern for him. He thought of the way she described the house she had bought, and of the way she stood up for herself against the Mayans. "Workin' on it."

"Well, your girl's making us breakfast." Quinn chuckled quietly. "Guess she spent all morning at church."

Happy nodded absently. "Keep the others off her."

"Will do, brother."

Hanging up, Happy trailed his eyes over the few members awake and moving around the Tacoma clubhouse just before noon on a Sunday. Lorca and Donut had sent the prospect out for food before sitting down to clean their own weapons. Donut's impressive stomach was even larger than Bobby's, and he was forced to sit with his legs spread in order to accommodate its girth. Lorca's wife, Candice, was directing the other women in the cleaning of the bar and main room from where she was holding court in one of the more comfortable armchairs.

A memory of his time as a prospect, of the way Candice would drive him hard to see how much he would take and how he responded to different women and their demands, floated to the fore. Back then, she favored long sleeves due to her unfamiliarity with the cold, Washington rain. To compensate for the crow on her left forearm being consistently covered, she had taken to wearing a leather vest with Lorca's name on the back.

Happy knew his eyes were burning with an unnatural light as he smirked across the table at the other man. "Where'd you get that vest your old lady used to wear?"

Lorca chuckled and gave Happy directions to a shop just outside of the busy shopping district without further comment.

**Josie**

Josie fed the assembled group of men, and left the mess for the prospect to deal with when Gemma arrived with Clay to take her and whoever else was interested to a carnival that had arrived in town a few days before. She sent a quick text to Happy to let him know she was going to the carnival with Gemma, and that Tig, Jax, and Bobby as well as Clay would be escorting them. She didn't want him to worry that she was running around without someone to watch her back when the Mayan situation was as yet unresolved. Changing into a pair of pants and one of Happy's SAMCRO t-shirts that she tied into a knot in the back to cinch it in around her waist, Josie strapped a pair of sandals on and climbed into her truck.

Fun Town was the usual mix of fun and kitsch that traveling carnivals often brought to small towns all across the USA. The warm summer day wasn't too hot, and a cool breeze kept her from becoming overheated as she moved between the booths and rides. Jax and Tig convinced her and Bobby to ride the dragon rollercoaster meant for small children, and they pretended that they weren't having just as much fun as the others while they looped the simple, undulating track.

Gemma and Clay introduced her to Karen and Elliott Oswald, though the other couple seemed reluctant to speak with them. Their daughter, Tristan, was thrilled with extra ride tickets Jax slipped her, and went running off with a big smile and a muttered 'thank you'. Josie waited until the uptight couple left and then giggled as Gemma propositioned her husband. The more time she spent around the club, the more she found to love about the rough and tumble family.

The rest of the day was spent watching the guys playfully rough up a mouthy carnival clown and eating food that she really had no business munching the weekend before a big race. The lights on the ferris wheel had just blinked to wakefulness, the setting sun washing the world in rays of orange and purple, when Gemma and Josie decided to split one last elephant ear before heading home. Waiting in line, they were surprised to hear Tristan's mother shouting for her daughter, a wide ribbon of fear haunting Karen's voice.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Gemma got the other woman's attention as she and Josie drew close.

Terror for her daughter had chased any thought of superiority from Karen Oswald, and she clasped Gemma's arm franticly. "I can't find Tristan!"

"I'll check the funhouse and the ride. She's probably just run into some friends and lost track of time." Josie dropped her fried treat and ran across the field to the building. Finding it empty, she scanned the rides on the way back to where Gemma had called the men to order, now joined by the nomads. "She's not in the funhouse or on any of the rides!"

"Oh, God, my baby!" The blonde woman was openly weeping now, and Josie wrapped her in her arms. "What do I do?!"

"We've called the cops, and everyone is coming to help look." Gemma's voice had taken on an edge that Josie didn't recognize. "We'll find her."

Understanding what Gemma wasn't saying, that they all knew someone had to have taken the young girl, and that this person would be made to pay, Josie squeezed the lady in her arms. "You need to find a picture of her for when the police ask. Then, we're going to get a cup of Coke to get some sugar into your system. You're shaking, and we need to get that under control before you go into shock. Tristan is going to need her momma to be strong, no matter what."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." The older woman nodded and let Josie guide her away while she dug for her wallet.

Josie caught and returned Gemma's small nod. "I've got her and the police. Ya'll do what you need to do."

Josie forced the woman to take large sips of the sugary soda, and then stayed with her through the initial police interview. She left her side once Elliott joined them, called away from his work by Josie when Karen's voice failed her. Josie located Gemma in the crowd of searchers and then stayed with her for the next hour, when the call came in that the girl had been found.

"Is she okay?" Josie whispered the question to Gemma as the two of them made their way to her truck. The older woman had decided to ride home with her while Clay and the others waited to see if they could help in any way.

Gemma shook her head as they drew close to the GMC. "Don't know yet."

Knowing there was nothing else she could do, Josie quietly prayed for the young girl as she dropped Gemma off at her home and returned to the nearly empty clubhouse. Half-Sack was scrubbing down the bar and looked up with his shy smile as she entered. Josie shook her head at his questioning look and retreated down the hall in silence.

**Happy**

Happy and Lorca took the club van, even though they both hated to ride in the ugly cage. They needed to be as discreet as possible until they made entry into the house where the small group of dealers had all bunked down. They knew the other men were sitting on a pile of weed as well as some pills, and they wanted to catch as many of them at home as they could.

All the better to send a message.

A soft rain was drumming a staccato beat on the roof of the van as they parked a block away from the house and ducked into the back. Happy slipped his pistols into his shoulder holsters and double checked the knives he habitually carried at his waist and in the top of his right boot. A shotgun gave him an extra edge over the crew they were about to meet, who their intel informed the Sons carried nothing but small caliber handguns. Lorca was similarly armed, and gave Happy a cheeky grin as the two of them stepped out of the black vehicle.

"How long do you think this is gonna take?"

"We go in, make them piss their pants, and leave." Happy shrugged. "Shouldn't take too long."

Jogging down the alley, the two of them looped the shotgun straps over their backs and hopped the back fence. They were across the small, unkempt backyard in less than three seconds. Taking up their pistols, they stood on either side of the flimsy back door. When Happy gave a nod, Lorca shouldered the wooden barrier aside. A young man jerked to his feet at the kitchen table, but Happy put a bullet in his shoulder before he could reach for the small firearm resting on the corner of the counter.

Yanking the man's back to his chest, Happy used him as a shield and pushed him into the next room to confront the others. Four men, looking panicked and disheveled, entered the room from the opposite direction just as Happy and his captive stepped in. Lorca was nearly pressed to his back, a pistol in either hand trained on the group.

"Time for a sit-down, boys!" Lorca's voice was jovial as he looked over the boys in front of them. They were quite young and dressed in huge jeans with loosely cinched belts as well as giant t-shirts.

"Guns. Floor. Now." Lorca did the talking as Happy glowered.

"That's my brother, you motherfucker!" A brown haired young man in his mid-twenties, a beard attempting to fill itself in on his jaw and chin, pushed his way to the front. The pistol in his hand was a Glock, though it was showing signs of rust.

Happy chuckled darkly. "Put the guns down, and we'll talk."

The man standing next to the first speaker drew himself up to his greatest height before aiming with his gun turned completely on its side. "Let his brother go, and we'll think about letting you two assholes walk out of here."

"Oh, thank you." A twitch of his wrist had Happy aimed correctly, and he pulled the trigger in the same second. The insolent young man hit the floor with a scream, his right hand a mass of bone and blood. "Hold your shit right, for fuck sake!"

Once the other occupants of the drug house were disarmed, Happy let himself smile in the way that he knew people found emotionally disturbing. This was shaping up to be a very rewarding endeavor.

"Wh – What's this about?" The one in front of the others, and the apparent leader, didn't take his wide, frightened eyes from the man with a gun to his brother's head. "What do you want?"

"Good questions," Happy shoved the man in his arms to the side, grinning when he bounced off the edge of the couch and landed in a heap on the floor with a groan. "We're here to talk about how you've been dealing close to schools, and you're going to promise us that it won't happen anymore.

The leader put his hands up in a placating motion and grinned. "Now, let's be reasonable here, fellas."

Happy snorted and took aim at the man's left kneecap. The 9mm bullet ripped through the cartilage and bit of bone, coming free in a spray of blood. When he fell to the floor screaming in agony and disbelief, the biker turned his pistol on the two remaining members. "Who's next?"

"Dude!" The smallest member of the crew shook his head. "I was just in this shit to make a little extra money. I'm out."

"Smartest thing I've heard any of you dickweeds say all day." Lorca motioned toward a chair. "Have a seat."

The last of the dealers looked at the three men bleeding all over the living room rug and the other man sitting in the threadbare recliner. "I was never a fan of being around the schools. Don't need that kind of heat, you know?"

Lorca nodded and began speaking as if they were old friends. "See? Not so hard, right? Just keep at least five blocks away from any school, don't seek kids out, and don't bring guns or drugs into the nice neighborhoods."

Happy patted his first victim on the bloody shoulder, wrenching a cry of pain from the smaller man. Leaning down to the level of the leader, now holding his ruined leg and fighting to stay conscious, Happy softly patted his leg. Sinking his fingers through the ruined mess, he grasped the slickness of bone.

"If you ignore what we're telling you, we'll come back." Standing over his friend, Lorca grinned maniacally. "And my friend here can get much, much worse."

Leaving the same way they had come, the two friends gave a whoop as they jogged back to their van. Climbing in, Lorca made sure they weren't followed as Happy pulled out of the lot in front of an empty business. Laughter filled the van as they drove away, the two men recounting their favorite parts of the encounter.

"You out in the morning, then?" Lorca lit a smoke and turned to face his friend.

Happy shook his head. "Want to make sure these dickheads don't try anything, and I need to stop by that place you told me about."

"Never thought I'd see the day you took on an old lady."

"Me neither." Shrugging, Happy lit a smoke of his own.

Lorca grinned. "Wanna talk about it?"

Happy snorted. "No."

"Good. I didn't want to hear that shit." Nodding at the intersection approaching, Lorca sighed. "Turn left at the light. We'll go get shit sorted."

**Josie**

Monday morning promised to dawn clear and bright, the air carrying with it the barest hint of fall as Josie pulled on her running shoes and strapped her mp3 player to her bicep. It would get boring running in circles on the lot, but she needed to get some miles in. At least she would be out in the predawn world and not on some treadmill somewhere. She had had worse workouts.

The clubhouse door barely made a sound as it opened and she eased it closed behind her. The breeze was cool on her skin as she went through her stretches. The thin jacket she wore over her t-shirt would come in handy for a while until the sun crested the hills surrounding Charming. Knowing she had about two hours before the men started to stir around outside, Josie started her running playlist and started out in a light jog.

By the time Josie had circumnavigated the garage lot enough times to count for ten miles, the men who worked at Teller Motor garage began to arrive or emerge from the clubhouse. Josie took the time to nod hello to some of them as she drank down a bottle of water and removed the thin jacket. Stretching a bit, she shook out her legs as she set the timer on her player and set it up where she could see it.

She would have twenty minutes to do as many rounds of 5 handstand pushups, 10 one-legged squats, and 15 pull-ups as she could manage. In Crossfit, this workout had been given the innocent sounding name of 'Mary', though she knew it was anything but sweet. At least she knew her shirt, which read '_This is my handstand pushup shirt' _in an upside down font, would get a few laughs from the assembled men.

When Elliott Oswald pulled onto the lot an hour later, Josie was icing her shoulders as she sat on the picnic table nibbling at a protein bar. She forced herself to remain seated and away from the open office door through which she could hear muffled voices. Someone would let her know what was going on eventually. When the grey haired man left the lot, he gave her a nod of recognition and thanks, and Josie knew he hadn't forgotten her kindness to his wife the day before.

"I need to go see Abel," Gemma said instead of a greeting. "Thought we could do that after the bank. You in?"

"Yeah," Josie nodded and slowly rose from her seat. "Need to grab a shower and run to my bank in Lodi first."

"Good deal. Abel's good for nothing junky mother woke up yesterday. She's put in a request with us to see him." Giving a mirthless chuckle, Gemma rolled her eyes. "As if that bitch deserves to be in the same room as that sweet boy. At least the judge agreed with us."

"Screw that!" Josie scowled. "That baby's been through far too much already."

"My thoughts exactly, darlin'." Jerking her head toward the office, Gemma smirked in the way Josie had begun to recognize as being affectionate. "I'll be in with Clay whenever you're ready."

Showering as quickly as properly taking care of her hair would allow, Josie slipped on a pair of comfortable and pristinely innocent white cotton panties and a matching bra that featured a little white ruffle before donning a blue maxi sundress with a white flower design. Plopping her floppy sunhat on her head, she checked her purse to make sure she had all needed identification for the bank. It was going to be a long, hopefully good, day.

Two hours later, Gemma swung into a Starbucks drivethru. They had successfully navigated all the red tape with the bank, and Josie knew she wouldn't stop checking her wallet to reassure herself that the cashier's check hadn't gone anywhere until it was safely at its destination. Deciding that they both needed coffee, Gemma offered to treat the younger woman to a latte.

"So, have you thought about decorating at all?"

Josie giggled as they waited for their turn to order. "I'm going to need a bigger bed for that room. I have some ideas for the living and family rooms, and I'll probably turn one of the bedrooms into a gym. The kitchen will be the easiest for me."

"I wonder what Happy is going to think?"

"He'll probably yell or something, and say it's too big." Josie shrugged. "It's my money, though, and a woman ought to get some say in where she makes a home."

"Oh, I understand and agree with that completely." Gemma turned to place their orders then, and the conversation stalled while they waited. "Happy is a bit notorious for his cheap ways."

"Well, it's not a bad thing to want to save your money."

Gemma sipped her drink and placed the cup in its holder before she responded. "It's more a necessity than anything, what with his mother being sick and all."

"Gemma, if you want to tell me something you know you probably shouldn't, I won't say anything to him about it." Josie grinned. "It's no secret that Happy would be welcomed as a member of SAMCRO."

"Oh, aren't you a smart little thing?" Chuckling, Gemma merged onto the highway that would lead them back to Charming. "Happy went Nomad from the Tacoma chapter because there's more money in it. His mother is very sick, and he's paying for her doctors and meds."

Josie nodded. "I won't say a word about it, but I'm sure we'll discuss that sometime soon."

"You'll talk him into staying?"

"I'll let him know that I'm happy here, and that I'm not going to let the mother of my old man suffer in any way." Josie sipped her latte as the fingers of her free hand grazed the piece of paper in her purse. "He isn't the sort to let someone else make decisions for him."

"He's your old man, now?"

"Well, he hasn't called me his old lady or anything, but I cannot honestly see myself with anyone else."

Gemma nodded. "That's a good sign."

The rest of the trip to town was filled with talk of Elliott Oswald requesting that the Sons step in to find the man who had brutalized his daughter and what should be done once he was found. They stopped for a quick lunch before getting everything at the bank taken care of. They left with Josie stroking the deed to her new home much the same way she had the check. Deciding to go straight to the hospital, the two women were sobered upon drawing near the entrance.

Karen Oswald was pacing in front of the doors, chewing her once perfect manicure to pieces.

"Maybe you should go see Able by yourself for a little bit."

Nodding, Josie smiled softly. "The little angel does need some church songs."

When the older women began to speak, Josie slipped through the sliding doors and made her way up to Able's private room. Humming softly, she scrubbed her hands the way the nurses had shown her before slipping one through the armhole in the tiny incubation crib. His skin felt so soft and fragile against her warm hand, and Josie began singing a song about mansions and streets paved with gold as he instinctively grasped her finger in his own.

"Who the **hell **are you?!" An unfamiliar woman's voice lashed through the small room, and Josie skirted the plastic bed to put herself protectively in front of it.

"No, who the hell are **you**?"

Pushing stringy, badly bleached hair behind her ears, the stranger frowned sourly. "I'm Wendy Teller, and that's my son."

"No," Josie raised an eyebrow sardonically. "You're Wendy Case, and this baby may have come out of you, but he is **not **your son."

"He is so, and I demand to see him."

"Well, people in hell want sweet tea, darlin', and you've got just as much a shot as they do." Pointing to the door, Josie kept her voice level and quiet through force of will alone. "Now, you need to leave."

"I will not!" Wendy was shouting, her voice causing Able to fuss a bit in his little blue blanket.

Planting her feet, Josie shouldered the other woman back through the door and drew it closed behind her as she followed. "You're not gonna just barge in and upset that sweet baby boy."

"Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own son?!"

"Well," Josie shrugged slightly. "I'm on the list to come and see him whenever I want, and you're the worthless bitch that nearly killed her own son."

Wendy swung from the shoulder, and Josie's first instinct was to dodge the badly thrown punch. Steeling her shoulders, she kept herself in place and allowed the blonde to make contact. She felt the mostly healed split on her lip reopen, and let out a little cry of pain as she let herself go limp against and slide down the wall to the floor.

A nurse came to see what had happened, saw Wendy crouched over Josie's prone form, smacking and occasionally screaming at the smaller woman, and shouted for help. Nurses and orderlies came running, and Wendy was forced to return to her room under hospital guard until the police could be brought to the hospital to handle the situation. When Officer Hale arrived less than ten minutes later, Josie had to fight away her smile in order to tearfully recount how she had been forced to put herself between the unfit mother and the son she was, due to a court order, not allowed to see without permission from his father. By the time he left, Gemma had arrived and she smirked at her as the younger woman was taken down to be looked at by the emergency room doctors and photographed for the police report.

"Why didn't you just kick her ass?"

"I could have." Josie smiled as the two left the hospital and slid into Gemma's tiny convertible. "But it did far more damage to her and her chances of ever getting even partial custody to beat me up. I have a feeling that any judges around here are male, and they'll only see a small young woman who was trying to protect a baby from his obviously unhinged failure or a mother."

Gemma laughed heartily as she started the car. "You need to let Happy know what went on here so he doesn't hear it from someone else and decide she needs taken out."

Josie followed her suggestion and sent off a message to her bit of tall, dark, and scarily handsome. Leaning back in her seat, she looked at her unlikely friend. "Any word about Tristan?"

"It was that fucked up clown." Gemma shook a cigarette from her pack and lit up while they sat at a red light. "Don't worry. The boys will handle him."

"So. . ." Josie sighed and smiled. "Want to go get a drink and shop online for house stuff?"


	12. MovingHide and Seek

_**A/N **__I'm basing the style of Happy's gift to Josie on my favorites from the examples I've seen in real life. There are many styles and types, so please do not think that any you may have seen is the only kind. Also, there has never been a Spartan Beast scheduled in Palo Alto, but wanted something closer than 12 hours away from Charming._

Josie had been unable to sleep much, and Tuesday's dawn found her jogging around the lot once again. Some unremembered nightmare had jolted her out of a sound sleep, all the more frightening because she was incapable of recalling upon waking why it had moved her to great, gulping tears. She had been left shaking and powerless to close her eyes for more than ten minutes at a time since. The memory of Happy's warm chest against her back, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist, drew deep sighs from her chest. She wanted him home, even though she knew from a phone call before she went to bed that he was safe and being treated well in Tacoma. He had promised to be there sometime that afternoon, though she had told him to get some sleep before making the twelve hour drive.

Finished with her jog, Josie rolled a tire meant for a jacked-up pickup truck out of the 'used' stack beside the garage. Bending at the knees and keeping her back straight, she began to flip it end over end from the garage to the line of bikes in front of the clubhouse. The return trip was much more difficult, but she made it without stopping. A few rounds of pushups and squats followed by some light yoga had Josie feeling much more relaxed and at ease. She always felt better after working her body and focusing on her own energy and breathing.

Sitting on one of the picnic tables under the sloped roof, Josie began thinking about all the things she needed to do that day. Renting a U-Haul and clearing out her cabin was on top of the list, as she wanted to have everything in place before the new items began arriving. Then, she needed to call the local realtor and get the little cabin listed. Josie was sure that it would sell decently, as it was in the heart of northern California's vineyard country, was close to the lake, and would be a lovely vacation home. Knowing that she would be working alone, Josie knew that she wouldn't be able to get the new house set up that day, but that she might be able to at least get her bed in one of the smaller rooms and get the necessities in a bathroom and in the kitchen. She would be able to handle working on everything else as she went along.

Deciding that she needed to get a move on if anything was going to be accomplished that day, Josie stood and made her way to take a shower and get dressed. Her favorite worn cutoffs were paired with a tank top and comfortable sandals that wouldn't slip around as she moved. Braiding her hair back from her face and into one long plait down her spine, Josie covered it with a bandana to keep dust or grime out of the strands and forewent any heavy makeup in favor of comfort.

The sun was already warm as it made its way over the hills to sparkle over the rooftops of town when Josie made her way into the main room of the clubhouse. She was surprised to see Jax and Opie already awake and dressed in their cuts. Quinn and the nomads were leaning against the bar. Bobby brought in a huge bowl full of muffins and began filling a cup of coffee that he placed at the end of the bar.

The grizzled man smiled warmly at Josie. "Come get something to eat."

"Alright," Josie slid into a seat. "What's goin' on?"

"Gemma has decreed that the Sons are to help you get packed up and moved down here." Bobby chuckled at her surprised expression. "Were you planning on moving all that shit on your own?"

Josie shrugged and swallowed her first bite of muffin before answering. "Moved it in on my own. Just takes longer by myself."

"Well," Gemma's voice rang out loud and clear from she had just walked through the front door. "SAMCRO doesn't let its women lug heavy shit. Especially not smart women like you who stand up for our babies, and certainly not when we have borrowed muscle in town."

Quinn nodded at the women from his spot at the corner of the bar. "The nomads are happy to help out Hap's girl."

Finishing her muffin, Josie accepted another cup of coffee. "Well, there isn't too awful much."

"Then we'll have time to get a few things moved into the new place and air it out a bit." Gemma smiled. "Closed up houses always smell so stale."

Jax smiled, and Josie saw how so many women could find him so completely irresistible. He was extremely handsome in a blonde, rakish way, though Josie preferred her perfectly imperfect man. "Mom said you were waiting for some stuff to be delivered tomorrow, but we can set other shit up."

"I have a bed that'll fit the smaller bedroom fine, so we can set that one up." Josie grinned around at the men. "No offense, but living here is just not very appealing to me."

With that all settled Opie drove Josie's truck while everyone else rode in formation in front of them. Hopping out at the rental place, he sent her on with the others and stepped inside to rent a large truck for the next few days. Josie rolled down her windows and hummed along with the country songs on the radio while she let herself be giddy over this new chapter in her life. Things were about to change and the excitement of it all was finally beginning to register.

It was just a little after noon when Josie looked up from the bag she was stuffing full of the last clothes from her dresser as a chorus of welcoming shouts rose from the front of the house. Happy's voice giving a laughing response had Josie pushing the black plastic off her lap and surging to her feet. Forcing herself to walk calmly down the hall, Josie smiled at the sight of Happy giving bro hugs to those he hadn't seen in a while. She felt multiple sets of eyes on her back as she went forward to wrap her arms around his neck and draw him into a soft, welcoming kiss.

Happy smiled, pleased with his reception, and wrapped his arm around her waist as he turned to look at the others. "Glad you guys could help."

"Thought she was joking when she said she didn't have a lot." Coon chuckled from where he stood in the small kitchen. "Hell, we're almost done."

"Just have to finish packing up my clothes from the dresser so they can move it out." Josie shrugged. "I was just going to order pizza for everyone."

Happy grabbed a small, flat, black box from where he had left it on the table and nodded his thanks to Gemma when she offered to call in the order instead. The insignia on the top of the box had stood out plain as day, and he was aware that Opie, Gemma, nor Clay could keep the grins off their faces. The older woman was obviously giving him a bit of privacy to present the vest to Josie without everyone standing around and watching. He wasn't a fan of being at the center of attention, and hated it even more when feelings were involved.

"Come on." Placing his hand on the small of her back, Happy steered her down the hall and into her room. Shutting to door behind them, Happy pulled her into the deep kiss he had wanted when he walked through the door after riding for nearly twelve hours. "Got something for you."

"What? You didn't have to do that." Josie smiled despite her words, pleased that he had brought her a gift, when he obviously wasn't the sort to pick up little trinkets.

"Yeah, I did." Happy placed the box on the corner of the dresser. "Coon hit on you."

Josie sighed. "He didn't know I'm with you, and he's been nothing but respectful and nice since."

"Good. Have to take him up in the ring otherwise, and it wouldn't be too much fun at all. He sucks at boxing." Happy jerked his chin at the box. "Open it."

Josie slipped her finger under the edge of the box, bent a bit from being carried in Happy's saddlebag for so long. The tape gave way with a little tug of persuasion, and she slid the lid off slowly. Something told her that whatever lay in the black and white tissue paper was important to her man, and she wanted to treat it with as much respect as possible. Happy was leaning against the door, an unreadable expression on his face, and she was just a little nervous about what she was going to find. The flimsy paper finally parted, and cool leather greeted her questing fingertips.

The vest she pulled out of the box was constructed of beautiful black leather. A zipper ran up the front to a low, square neckline. The front was lightly contoured for a woman's shape, and laces on either side would allow her to further customize the fit. As she turned it over, the decoration on the back made her pause and look over at Happy's suspiciously still form. _I Belong to Happy, Sons of Anarchy MC _was spelled out in white cursive embroidery in large enough letters that it nearly filled the entire back of the garment, his name standing out in blood red. A happy face patch was stitched into the lower left corner.

"Oh," words failed her, and Josie sank back against the dresser. Did this mean what she thought it did? Her breath caught in her throat, and she could only star at him in confusion.

"Had the lettering put on it in Tacoma. The club charter says no Reaper patch, but the design and shit was up to me." Stepping away from the door, Happy came to stand just in front of her. "Gemma and Donna, Opie's Old Lady, have vests too, but don't wear them unless they have to. A lot of the Old Ladies in other chapters wear them a lot. Thought this would be good until you decided to get my crow. Also works if you have to cover the ink up."

"What does it mean, though?" Josie wanted things spelled out clearly, so there would be no misunderstandings down the line.

"Means you're mine. My Old Lady." Happy tucked a curl that had worked itself loose from her braid behind her ear. "Means no one is gonna hit on you or disrespect you. If they do, it's a sign of disrespect, and I'll have to take care of it."

Josie nodded and took a deep breath. "So, when are you planning to set up the tattoo gun?"

Happy chuckled. "When you decide to admit that you love me."

"Well, that was the agreement, huh? You let me know when you wanted me as your Old Lady, and I tell you when I love you." Josie grinned. "So, am I expected to wear it all the time?"

"Nah, but you should wear it in the clubhouse or if you go somewhere with all of us." Thinking, Happy shrugged. "Probably not into Stockton or Lodi unless me or some of the others are around, since another club might target you for it."

"So, when we go down to Palo Alto on Thursday afternoon for the race early Friday morning?"

"You'll be wearing it." Lacing his fingers through the belt loops on her shorts, Happy pulled Josie into his chest and leaned down to kiss and nibble her neck. "May as well be a ring, as far as I'm concerned. Ain't letting you go."

Leaning up on her toes, Josie pressed a kiss to Happy's lips. "Help me get it on?"

Capturing her mouth in a heated kiss, Happy grinned and then growled in approval when her mouth opened readily under his. He loved the taste of his little woman, and hated that there were so many layers of clothing between them. He wanted to drag her down to the floor and have her under him right there, but he knew he wouldn't let her out of the room for the rest of the day if he gave in to that urge. Gemma saved him from his dilemma when she knocked lightly on the door and informed them that lunch had arrived, and that she wanted to see Josie's new accessory.

"C'mon, big guy." Josie's eyes were shining as she smiled widely up at Happy. "Let's go show off."

Happy stepped away from her and helped her slide the leather over her arms. Zipping it, Josie quickly adjusted the laces on the sides and did a little spin in front of her mirrored closet doors. It seemed appropriate that this would be the last time she examined an outfit in her old house. The vest fit perfectly, and Josie smiled at Happy's reflection over her right shoulder. Opening the bedroom door, he playfully slapped her butt as she walked by before widely grinning and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, taking the heavy braid of her hair with it.

Another cheer went up as the two of them made their way into the main room, made larger by the lack of appliances in the kitchen and furniture in the front room. The table on which the pizza and salads stood the only thing left to move. Josie accepted a hug and affectionate kiss on the cheek from Gemma and a fatherly squeeze from both Clay and Tig before she picked up the grilled chicken and spinach salad Gemma had ordered her. She was going to need the iron in the coming days. Adding three slices of pizza to a plate, Josie went to sit on the front porch with everyone else, as the air conditioning had already been turned off and the small house had been made stuffy with the presence of so many large, moving bodies.

"Wow," Tig eyed the large salad and pizza combination Josie placed in front of her crossed legs. "That's a lot of food."

"You callin' my woman fat?" Happy sad down behind Josie, his back resting on the vinyl siding and his knees on either side of her hips.

Tig shook his head and grinned at his friend's smile. "Hell no."

"I have my big race on Friday. Have to start fueling now." Josie smiled at their antics.

"I thought that was just the night before?" Opie's eyebrow threatened to disappear under his shaggy mane. "That's how we did it in football."

"Well, football is different than running a twelve mile obstacle race." Josie was pouring her favorite honey mustard dressing over the salad, glad that Gemma had remembered to get extra. "I have to eat a lot of starchy vegetables and fruits along with a lot more protein. I'll probably have lasagna or spaghetti for dinner on Thursday, though, and something light for supper."

"It's like before I had a big fight in the Army." Half-Sack spoke up from his spot on the edge of the porch. "You need to be able to go for a long time, not just here and there."

"Exactly," Josie leaned back against Happy's chest as he encouraged her to do so with an arm around her shoulders. "I'm in the Elite class first wave, so I'll be awake and eating early that morning."

"How early we talking?" Jax looked around at the others. "I'm riding along with them, and I know Tig and Chibs are in. Who else?"

Opie shifted next to his friend. "Donna wants to go watch. Says she wants to see people doing crazy shit for fun. Her ma's watching the kids for the night."

"We'll be there as long as we aren't needed for something before then." Quinn smiled. "I caught Miss Josie's workout the last two mornings, and want to see how that shit pays off."

"It pays off in knowing that I haven't given up when things get hard, and in being stronger than ever." Josie grinned and started in on her pizza. "I don't need a race to tell me any of that."

The rest of the meal was eaten quickly, and the bags of clothes from Josie's room were shoved into the bed of her truck before the table and dresser were loaded into the U-Haul. Josie and Happy each did two separate walk-throughs before deeming the cabin empty of everything but the stove and refrigerator, which had come with the place when she bought it. Wanting everything to be new in the kitchen, she was leaving it behind for whoever bought the place, with the hope that the new owners would love it as much as she had.

By eight o'clock, everything from the old house had been moved inside the new place. Everyone had said how huge it was, and Gemma had managed to slide in a quiet comment about it being a bit big for a couple without children, though Josie chose to ignore it. Josie's old bed had been set up in the smaller bedroom at the top of the stairs, the master bathroom had been stocked, and the kitchen was as put together as it could be without the major appliances. Gemma and Josie would be going to the local shops in the morning in order to get what they could purchase close to home delivered as soon as possible. Josie was going to see what she could find on Etsy in order to give money to those making unique home decorations. She had always enjoyed homemade things more than those mass produced.

Supper had been brought in from the diner, Half-Sack and Juice being given the task of retrieving it. No one batted an eye when Josie got two double burgers and a side of fries. Happy shoved a few of his onto her plate, and she pretended that she hadn't noticed. He loved her curves, and enjoyed the idea that any extra calories would end up resting on her hips or ass.

When the mess from supper had been put away and the others had made their way out the door and down the driveway, Josie sighed and leaned against the porch railing, her bare feet loving the sun warmed wood. "Going to need to do some cleaning and painting before this is all over with. I want this port ceiling a pretty blue, and the kitchen and bedrooms redone for sure."

"This place is huge." Happy leaned next to her and looked over the front of the house. "Don't you think three bedrooms are a bit much?"

"It is big, but I just love it. I like it here." Josie smiled softly. "Could see me being happy here for a long time.

Happy pulled her into his arms and began unbraiding her hair so that it slipped around his fingers as he threaded his hands through the soft strands. "So, what's the plan?"

"For tonight?"

Happy nodded. "We hanging here? Heading back to the clubhouse for the night?"

"I don't know about you, but I was planning on going upstairs, slipping off everything but this vest, and christening my new house right."

Happy's grin was infectious. "I'm been waiting to get you alone all goddamn afternoon. Why start all the way up there?"

Taking his hands in her own, Josie smiled up at her tall lover before raising his hands to cover his own eyes. "Count to twenty."

"What?" Happy tried to look at her, but she held firm. Sighing, he decided to humor the tiny redhead. "One."

With a giggle, Josie turned and ran through the front door. Taking a moment, she stripped off her vest, tank, and bra before zipping the vest back on. Dropping the shirt over the doorknob, she shut the door behind her and sprinted through the dining room. Leaving her bra on the floor there, she heard the front door open. Containing her giggle behind her hand, she stepped into the kitchen just as she heard Happy make a wrong turn into the living room. He was obviously making noise so she could tell where he was walking. Shimmying out of her shorts, Josie tossed them into the breakfast nook, listening to them slide along the hardwood floor.

Spinning on her heel, Josie started to run for the dining room. Three steps into the room, Happy stepped through the arch, her tank top tucked into his back pocket like a bandana. Shrieking with laughter, Josie backpedaled so quickly that she fell flat on her back. Crab walking for a moment, she spun and managed to regain her feet. Twisting, she ran through the kitchen to wait for him in the opening leading to the breakfast nook.

Happy began whistling quietly as he sauntered through the dining room, stooping to collect the pink bra from the floor. He was enjoying this game far more than he thought he would. Catching a glimpse of his prey waiting at the other side of the kitchen, he turned to hurry around to the back of the house as quietly as he could.

Josie froze when Happy became silent. She couldn't track him in the house, and she slowly took a step toward the island in the center of the kitchen. She could feel her heart slamming against her ribs, her mouth becoming dry when she saw that he was no longer in the dining room. The sound of Happy's quiet chuckle from the breakfast nook sent her scurrying back through the dining room and around to the stairs in front of the door. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist just as her feet reached the bottom step, and she was whipped around so fast that she lost her balance and was forced to grasp his cut to keep from falling.

"I win," Happy fed at her mouth with teeth and tongue until she whimpered and opened for his invasion. "What's my prize?"

"Mmmm," Josie rubbed herself against him. "Where do you want me?"

Scooping her up, Happy made his way easily up the stairs. "Changed my mind about making it up here."

As he passed the two smaller bedrooms, Josie pointed over his shoulder. "Um, the bed's in there, Sug."

"Going to spend our first night in this house in **our **room." Sitting her down, he quickly drug the thick comforter from the bed and spread it on the floor in front of the windows so that moonlight streamed in across the makeshift bed. "Come here, little girl."

Stepping forward, Josie let him pull her into a deep kiss. Picking her up, he wrapped her legs around him and had her under him on the floor in a single move. When she moaned softly and scratched her nails along the back of his head, he slid his cut down his arms and laid it to the side. Josie yanked at his shirt, gliding her hands underneath the thin cotton and groaning at the feel of his warm skin against her fingertips. As she drug the offending piece of clothing up over his head, she began kissing and licking his collarbone and chest.

Suddenly, she couldn't get enough of him. She needed more. Pressing on his shoulders, she convinced him without words to lie on his back. Placing open-mouthed kisses along his skin, she traced the words along the top of his chest with her tongue before traveling lower. She couldn't resist the temptation to bite down on the flesh of his pectoral, savoring the taste of him as well as his lust-filled growl.

"Playing with fire, little girl." Wrapping his hand in her hair, he pushed her slightly against him. "Harder."

Sinking her teeth into him, she worried the flesh and was rewarded with a deep moan of pleasure and a great surging of his hips against the pink silk of her panties. Sliding her tongue over the welts she had caused, she soothed him. Moving over his nipple, she lapped at the puckered flesh before inhaling his scent along his sternum. Turning her head just a bit, she pressed a series of licks and open mouthed kisses along the snake inked into his skin. Her hands slipped the button of his jeans free and slid down the zipper as she moved down his body. Licking along the V formed by his muscles where his torso met his hips, she again sank her teeth into the flesh she uncovered.

Happy was in ecstasy, the pain fueling his pleasure until there was nothing in the world past Josie and what she was doing to him. No other woman had ever brought him to such a place of pure feeling. The only thing keeping him from floating away was the feel of her hair wrapped around his wrist.

Josie worked his jeans and boxers down his legs, stopping to remove his boots and socks. Sliding her hands back up his legs, she rubbed over his muscular calves. Nibbling along his inner thigh, she let her fingers tickle over the heavy sack below his turgid manhood. He moaned and shifted his hips once more, and she flicked her eyes up to his face. When he blinked his eyes open and found hers, she slowly opened her mouth and slid the flat of her tongue from the base of him to the tip.

"Holy fuck!" His eyes bulged and burned with a light Josie had never seen before.

Letting herself grin, Josie repeated the slow lick before immediately taking him as far down as she could. Setting a careful rhythm that allowed her to work her way up to taking him completely down her throat, Josie soon discovered that he valued wet, slurping sounds more than total suction. Working him over, she delighted in his growls and soft moans.

"Jesus, that's good." When Happy began to feel his control slipping, he wrenched her away from him and pushed her down onto the fluffy blanket. "Wasn't going to last with you doing that."

Josie squirmed and arched against his hands and he unzipped her vest so that her breasts spilled out and her flat stomach was bared to his eyes and tongue. Petting and caressing one nipple with his ringed fingers, he took the other in his mouth. Josie sighed in pleasure and drew him closer to her feverish skin.

Pushing his hand under the pink satin trimmed with black lace, Happy moaned at how wet she was around his questing fingers. Trying to see past his own desires, Happy gave a thought to what she would want from him. With a quick decision, he eased down her torso to lap at her softly while removing the pretty barrier.

"How do you want me?"

Josie wanted him so deep inside her that he would never find his way out. Knowing her own body, and how the position made her feel, she pushed him away from her and rolled over. Pushing her hair to pool on the floor over her left shoulder, she came up on her knees as the same time Happy angled her hips for maximum penetration. They both let out shouts of ecstasy as he slid his latex wrapped length into her tight heat.

Setting a slow pace, his thrusts were hard, anchoring the tiny woman below him and barely allowing her to breathe. Josie slid her legs wider and arched her spine in response, moaning wildly as the change in angle lit off fireworks down her spine. When the long fingers of one of his hands clinched in her hair while the other grasped her hip tightly, pulling her hands nearly off the floor as his thrusts sped up, she screamed her release and felt her internal muscles twitching and working to keep him inside her.

Happy was transfixed by the sight of his name staring at him from her back and the sound of her sweet twang calling his name in the throes of pleasure, loving how she gave herself over to him because she wanted to do so and trusted that he would bring her to orgasm before he found his own release. Easing back so that he was kneeling, he brought her off the floor and fully into his lap. Her thighs were spread over his lap, and he brought his fingers to dance and stroke over the bundle of nerves just above where they were joined.

"Need you to cum again for me, little girl."

Josie's head rolled to rest bonelessly on his shoulder, warmth flooding her chest and creeping up her legs. "Oh, God, Happy."

"That's right." Happy sped up once more, working her harder as he felt himself growing close. "You let your Old Man take care of you."

"Yesyesyesyesyes. . . ." Josie stopped breathing for a moment, and then she came. Her vision went white, and there was no sound other than Happy's harsh breathing in her ear. When he growled her name as he found his own release, she came again with a sigh.

As he eased away from her and tucked the blanket around her prone form before walking into the bathroom to dispose of the condom, Josie felt her heart give a little extra beat.


	13. Admitting It

_**A/N: To my Anon reviewer who loves this and Follow You Down: **__Thank you! I loved reading your review, and couldn't respond through PM. *giant hugs* __**Also: **__Taking some liberties with non-Sons.__** Gatorlytes **__is a trademark of Gatorade, and is extremely helpful for long distance and endurance runners. __**Southern Belle note: **__I don't know if you can get more 'modern belle' than Josie's outfit for Gemma's school charity event. If you want a starter kit for dressing like a Southern lady, there you go._

Dawn was the barest thought on the eastern horizon as Josie powered through two-and-a-half cups of unsweetened apple sauce, one scoop of whey protein, one bottle of sports drink and a banana. She hated the way the sports drink tasted, and the weird residue it left behind on her tongue, but she knew she would regret it if she didn't fuel up correctly. The top racers in her Elite class start would finish in a little under three hours, and Josie thought she would come out closer to the four hour mark. Her hydration pack was full of a Gatorade and Gatorlytes mix to help stave off muscle cramps or stomach bloating due to a lack of sodium. A few sodium tablets and a carbohydrate-filled energy chew were stashed in the small waterproof pocket of her pack.

Clay had made the trip to Palo Alto to support Josie a mandatory run, and she had been forced to explain in great detail her reason for not eating a great deal at dinner the night before. Happy had frowned and Tig had attempted to force her to eat a meal the way she had for the past week. Clay had questioned if she were starving herself, and Bobby had scowled at the very idea. Donna and Gemma had simply rolled their eyes at the men's worrying and let the younger woman describe how she needed to eat before a race, and that she could be ill if she consumed the wrong things too close to start time. Half-Sack had driven the van down as a precaution in case she was unable to ride behind Happy on the way home, and he let her know that there would be chocolate milk and bananas as soon as she was finished.

Josie wasn't quite sure how she felt about Opie's wife, and she could tell that Donna wasn't so thrilled with her either. Josie knew from conversations she had had with Gemma over the last few days that Donna held SAMCRO responsible for Opie spending five years in prison. While Josie was able to see where she was coming from, and that she resented being left alone to raise a set of rambunctious twins on her own, the younger woman couldn't be sure that some of Donna's ire was misplaced. Sure, Opie had been on club business when he was arrested, but Josie had pieced together that it was the fault of one man that couldn't keep it together long enough to do his job. Deciding that it would be better for her to be cordial with the older woman, Josie let any snippy comments pass without giving them much credence or thought.

Happy had loved her slow and sweet that night, bringing her just enough release to calm her nerves and send her off into a quiet, peaceful rest. The look in his eyes and the intense gaze he maintained on her face until he was forced to bury his own in her neck as he finished tugged at her heart again. In the quiet of the night, with his breath puffing softly against the top of her head, Josie finally understood that love was not always a lightning strike or a screaming siren. Sometimes, it tiptoed in as quiet as a sigh and as irrevocable as ink under the skin.

The others joined her in the waking world by 7:00, and Josie managed to have them all out the door shortly after. They had picked up her racing bib and information pack the night before, but she had to be there very early. Her wave was set to start at 8:30, and she would need to check in and get her number written on her arms and legs in Sharpe marker. Happy growled at that, but she assured him that he could be with her until she needed to line up. She had paired her black and pink plaid running skirt with a black sports bra, and compression socks road over her calf muscles. Her vest matched it all very well, and Josie knew she would miss it in the coming hours.

"You good?" Happy glowered at anyone who dared come close to his girl while they were talking. He wasn't used to giving encouraging words, so he left it at that.

A ten minute warning had just been called over the speakers, and she was stretching as they spoke. Josie glanced toward the sea of people in the stands behind the milling crowd of racers and well-wishers, picking out a mass of black vests, though she couldn't make out faces at that distance. "They have screens set up, but I'm not sure how often you'll see me."

"You just keep moving. Don't start out too fast, or you'll get sick."

"I know," Josie smiled up into his scowl. She knew it was how he responded to being concerned. Curling into his chest, she soaked up his warmth and enjoyed his strength. "It's not my first rodeo, baby. I got this."

Happy nodded and slipped her vest from her shoulders so she could pull on her hydration pack and adjust the straps as a five minute call came over the speakers. "Go kick ass. We'll be here when you're done."

Pressing a kiss to his chin, she turned and slipped between the people to take her place in the back of the pack waiting to leave.

At the signal, the crowd gave a great surge, and Josie forced herself to set a steady pace. Two miles later, after traversing the first short wall and a moat full of mud, the sides of the track were littered with participants who had started out too quickly; retching coughs accompanied the shaking of shoulders and the sounds of spittle hitting the tall grass. Focusing on her breathing and giving a short suck to her hydration pack tube, Josie continued on to the first real obstacle.

A cargo net was hung vertically, stretching thirty feet in the air. Josie looked up at it and then over at the volunteers. "I go up and over?"

"You got it!"

The girl was much too chipper for so early in the morning, but Josie shrugged it off and grasped a handful of the heavy canvas material. The climb was made more difficult by the swaying of the cloth ladder and the addition of other racers hitting the net behind her. She was able to nearly slide down when she reached the other side, using her hands to slow her progress to a safe speed.

A few hundred feet later, she was forced to stoop and crawl-walk under barbed wire that had been stretched four feet off the ground up the side of a hill and over the crest. It lowered on the other side, and she tucked her arms to roll under it. A pair of 7 foot high walls sat, one right after the other, directly after the barbed wire, and Josie was glad when another racer offered his hand to help her gain the top. A second set of wire, this one two feet off the ground was next, small rocks digging into her arms and legs as she wriggled her way through the mud with about twenty other people while they were continually blasted by a very powerful, and very frigid, water hose.

Next, Josie flew over two short walls, along a set of long monkey bars with a spectacular view of the race track below, a fifteen foot rope climb, and a traverse wall before coming upon the first thing to give her pause. A pool of water rested below a drop of ten feet, its muddy surface completely hiding the bottom. People were shivering and their teeth were chattering as they attempted to swim out to a rope bridge that they would have to cross in order to swing from rope-to-rope a la Tarzan. Gritting her teeth and trusting that the builders wouldn't make the water three feet deep, she jumped.

Coming up with a shout at the cold, though thankful that she hadn't hit the bottom, she focused on the task at hand. Ignoring the cold to the best of her ability, she swam quickly across the distance instead of attempting to find a foothold as others were doing, years of creek wading in Georgia clay telling her that the mud on the bottom would do more harm than good. After finishing the rope bridge, she barely managed to make it across the Tarzan swing without falling back into the morass below, happy that she had worn a pair of climbing gloves to stave off rope burn.

Passing a large group of people breathing heavily or hugging themselves in the cool morning air, water and mud dripping from their hair and clothes, Josie noticed that they were huddled around the water and first aid tent. Shrugging, she made it to a large poster that featured a phrase she would have to memorize for later in the race before clearing out her hydration hose and having another drink as she read. The last two digits of her number corresponded to GOLF 113-3523, and Josie snorted as she formulated a mnemonic device. Happy would never play golf, his score would be 113, and then his age followed by her own. A mile later, a Herculean hoist had her pulling a rope attached to a heavy weight until it reached the pulley at the top.

Passing the second water station, Josie allowed herself another sip from her pack and noted it had now been 6 miles since the beginning of the race. The crowd at this tent, much smaller than what had been gathered at the first, cheered her on as she reached the Atlas carry, where she had to hoist a five gallon bucket full of concrete onto her shoulder and carry it one hundred feet. Dropping that load, she grappled a second back to the starting point in the same manner, making sure she didn't get in the way of a few people who had joined her on the course.

The crowd was still cheering as she jogged to the next station, a barbed wire crawl up a hill with hay placed here and there that she was forced to skirt around. She was thankful that this crawl was softer than the first, and that she had thought to wrap her hair in cloth to help stave off some of the mud before tucking it down the back of her bra. A woman at the top had cut her leg on a nasty looking bit of the wire, and a medic was tending to her bleeding thigh. Josie gave her a grimacing smile of sympathy and moved on.

The short walls that followed were no problem, and a large wall that came later had a rope to help her over. She then hauled a hunk of concrete on a chain up a hill and back down, moving as slowly as necessary and being careful to keep it from smacking into her ankles along the way. Two men had tried to beat each other down the slope, and they were both limping badly by the end. Rubbing her arms to help ease their discomfort, she continued to jog along muddy creek bed that formed the path until she reached a group of volunteers at the next obstacle.

"Hey, what was the phrase you had to remember?" The main volunteer at the sled pull had puffy brown curls that spilled out from under his light blue hat and a clipboard in front of him so he could look up the answers.

Josie sipped at her pack and swallowed down a sodium tablet as she felt a ripple of discomfort in her right leg. "Golf 113-3523."

"Very good!" Pointing from a sled containing a box full of rocks and sand and then up a path made of loose, large rocks and lined on either side by burning hay bales, the man grinned. "Up to the top."

Knotting the sled's long ties together, Josie looped them over one shoulder and under the other before she put her head down and began the long trek up the hill. She concentrated on trying to breathe below the level of the black smoke and heat caused by the fires, sometimes forced to crawl with her face inches above the ground. By focusing on one short benchmark after another (just to that black rock and then to another greenish one) instead of looking constantly at the top of the hill, she was able to make it without becoming overwhelmed. Stopping just long enough to unloop the ties, she popped one of the energy chews before having another drink. She was at the third water tent, this one suspiciously empty after the first two, and she knew she was at the ten mile mark.

The man coming up the hill behind her was starting to rub at his side. "Fuck that hill!"

"Cramp?" Josie frowned

He nodded and looked up at the heavy lines running about thirty feet long twenty feet above yet another body of water. Straightening, he twisted slowly to the side in an attempt to ease the discomfort. "Just started."

"Want a sodium tablet?"

"You serious?" At her nod, he grinned. "Thanks. Guess I wasn't prepared for this."

"No problem. It happens."

Handing him one, Josie told him to get a drink before she made her way to the Tyrolean traverse and climbed up the steps in front of her. The lines were suspended parallel to yet another body of water, twenty feet in the air. Holding the line firmly, she gave a hop and wrapped her knee up over it. Letting most of her weight rest on that knee, she pulled herself across the thirty feet of narrow line.

The terrain had flattened out again, and Josie jogged along quickly, her breathing and heart rate not coming so harshly as to cause discomfort. A log hop was followed by a second set of ropes to climb and another vertical cargo net. The next set of double walls was 8 feet high. Josie watched a man go over and land safely before she let herself drop, glad that she remembered not to lock her knees.

She could see the finish line as she stood from the fall, and she allowed herself to sprint to the next staging area, which happened to be a spear throw. Having never handled a spear in her life, and her arms feeling like over-cooked spaghetti, she just barely made the piece of sharpened wood stick in the bale of hay that was acting as a target. Since it did pierce the hay, even though the bottom sagged to rest on the ground, she was given a pass and wasn't forced to do 30 burpees instead of completing the obstacle.

Sinking into a shallow pool of muddy water, she sucked in a deep breath before ducking under a wooden fence set up to run just under the surface. Coming up on the other side, she had to turn her head parallel to the waterline to avoid low hanging barbed wire, passing the man from the high wall and three women who seemed to be more afraid of the wire than Josie thought they had cause to be. Once she cleared the wire and the water, she was able to climb out and sprint thirty feet to jump the now iconic line of wood on fire while a chorus of rough voices led the crowd in shouting her name.

Running through a group of gladiators who swung large sticks with pads on either end at her head and chest, Josie crossed the finish line. Unable to raise her arms in victory, she settled for smiling and barely waving at those cheering for her both in the stands and amongst the other racers. She was leaned over, her forearms braced on her knees, when one of the organizers informed her that she was the second woman to cross the line, and had come in sixth overall.

"Really?" Josie sucked at her hydration tube with abandon now, and accepted a hug from the woman who had crossed the line a few minutes before her. "What was my time?"

"Three hours, 2 minutes and 28 seconds."

Josie was dumbstruck. "Holy shit!"

Laughing in relief and triumph, the two women wrapped their arms around each other, sisters for a short time. A photographer snapped their picture and then got one of her alone, as he had some of the others. A volunteer wrapped a huge, warmed towel around her shoulders and offered his congratulations just as the Sons of Anarchy reached the tents. When Happy growled threateningly, the younger man raised his hands and backed away quickly.

"I did it!" Josie was positively beaming in her delight.

Happy wrapped his arms around her, pressing a proud kiss to her lips before frowning as he felt her shaking slightly. "Why are you shaking?"

"Muscle fatigue," a passing volunteer looked at the assembled group. "You need anything to eat, honey?"

"We got it." Half-Sack presented a half gallon of chocolate milk, chilled from being in a cooler all morning. "Drink this."

Nodding, Josie attempted to lift the jug, only to realize that her arms couldn't hold its weight. "Crap. Anyone got a straw?"

"Fuck that." Happy, unwilling to see her treated like an invalid, opened the drink and held it to her lips. When she managed to take nearly half of it down immediately, he shook his head. "Just how wrecked **are **you?"

"Pretty bad, I think." Josie allowed him to steer her into a seat, accepting his help in peeling a banana and drinking whenever he held the milk up to her lips.

"That was **insane**!" Donna's face held a strange mixture of awe and astonishment. "They kept showing you on the screens, and you were just BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, like that was nothing!"

Chuckling, Josie accepted a small tub of peanut butter and a plastic spoon from Half-Sack to eat after she finished her banana. "I'm pretty good at focusing on what needs to be done. It's what I'm good at. That water was **cold**, though."

"Well, I know whose house I'm going to if the zombie apocalypse happens. Between Happy's guns and your commando shit, we'll be good."

"Honey, I was born and raised in Georgia!" Josie raised an eyebrow. "Who said he's the only one with guns?!"

Smirking, Gemma used the towel around Josie's shoulders to wipe a spot on her cheek before she placed a kiss there. "You did real good, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Gemma." Josie carefully tucked the towel under her head as she leaned against Happy's shoulder so she didn't get him too muddy.

"We kept the one room for the day so you can get a shower." Happy felt her nod against him. "Let's get you clean so we can get home."

Josie got her medal for completing the race and a few more hugs as the group moved through the festivities.

"Hey," a mud-covered man with a familiar voice stopped them on their way past one of the beer tents. "Thanks for the help out there. Probably would've pulled a DNF if you hadn't stopped."

Finally recognizing the man as the one to whom she had given a sodium tablet, Josie smiled and rubbed Happy's tense forearm. "Don't mention it. Just remember to hydrate right next time."

Nodding, the man wished them all a good afternoon before going back to his friends.

"What the fuck's a DNF?" Happy spoke for the group as they made their way toward the less crowded area of the parking lot.

"Stands for Did Not Finish, and would have sucked more than coming in dead last."

Tig chuckled. "How'd you help the meathead?"

"Gave him a sodium tablet when he started to cramp up."

Climbing into the van, Josie was nearly asleep by the time they made it out of the lot. Happy had the rolling door open as soon as the van stopped, and he lifted her out carefully. Gemma opened the door for them and made sure Josie shower supplies were in the tub before retreating to the small restaurant attached to the motel with the others.

"I can stand," Josie's voice was quiet and lacked all conviction. "Just put me down on the toilet."

Slowly stripping her down, Happy followed suit. Scooping her up, he eased them into the shower, just letting the water run over her tired and abused body. When the water finally began to run clear, he washed her hair twice and let the conditioner sit in the strands as he grabbed the puff and her body wash. He lathered her entire body twice, letting her rest against the wall when he wasn't able to support her weight and reach her legs. Rinsing her hair completely, he turned off the water and helped her to stand on the mat.

Patting her skin dry, Happy smiled up at her. "Knew you could be a tough bitch when you needed to, but that shit was crazy. You're a fuckin' hardcore warrior bitch."

Overwhelmed by the blatant admiration in Happy's voice, Josie felt her breathing catch in her chest. He was treating her as if a harsh touch would cause her to shatter. "Happy."

Josie cupped his face in her small hands and waited until his eyes were locked with her own. "I love you."

Happy blinked twice, certain that he had heard her wrong. Weren't women supposed to want you to do something huge before telling you that? "What?"

Josie gave a watery laugh and leaned down to ghost a soft kiss over his slightly parted lips. "I love you, and I wish I was able to move enough to show you just how much. But my arms and legs are just too sore and tired."

Happy stood without hesitation, wrapping Josie's legs around him as he moved. "If you can be wet, I can do all the work."

"Because that's ever been an issue with me when you're around." Josie giggled and wiggled against him so he could feel just how turned on she was already. "Take me to bed, Suga."

Groaning, Happy did just that.

Easing her down onto the flowered comforter, he leaned forward to kiss her softly and ran his tongue down her neck. Scraping his teeth over her puckered nipple, he was gratified when she moaned and lightly wrapped her arms around his head and shoulder. Sliding his hand over her abdomen, he slowly eased two fingers into her waiting heat.

"Oh, I love your hands."

Happy worked her slowly, drawing sighs and moans from her with easy movements and drugging kisses. "You let me know when you're ready for me, little girl."

Josie nodded and sighed. "Been ready."

"You sure?"

"Do I sound like I don't know?" Josie chuckled and managed to hook her knee over his hip.

Happy had to leave her long enough to retrieve a condom, wondering when he would be able to do away with them altogether. Returning, he slid the latex down his length and hooked her knee over his forearm. Stretching her leg up and to the side, he opened her to him. As he came forward, he eased into her a fraction of an inch at a time.

"Oh, love," Josie sighed and let herself luxuriate in all that he was doing to her. "This feels so nice."

Happy realized with a start that he wouldn't be able to last long at all with the way she was sighing and rubbing her foot along the hair covering the back of his leg. Reaching down, he petted her clit with soft, circular caresses until she gave a quiet cry and clenched around him. Following soon after, he kept himself from putting his weight on her already sore body.

The little woman was almost asleep as he cleaned her up and slid her soft cotton bra and panties over her sensitive skin. An old, nearly threadbare t-shirt and long peasant skirt followed, and he added her vest when she asked him where it was. Knowing her shoes would be a waste, he let her carry them and slowly walk barefoot to the van. The others were just making their way back from lunch, and Gemma pressed a bag into Happy's hands.

"You two eat while I go get the room squared away."

Tig leaned against the van and peeled the wrapper away from Josie's burger before handing it to her where she sat on the back seat. "You doin' okay, pussycat?"

"'M a'ight." Her accent had grown thicker with each passing moment until the vowels had all grown in length and the words all seemed to roll out of her mouth like a slow southern summer. "Jus' tired."

Happy motioned to her food as he ate his own, knowing he couldn't take it on his bike. "Get some food in you. Can sleep all the way home."

Josie ate listlessly, the burger was good, but the effort it took to eat just robbed her of what energy she had left.

Chibs walked over from a small ice cream shop across the road and handed her a Styrofoam cup. "Here. Fruit and milk will help."

Josie let Tig take her burger while she reached for the cup, suddenly thirsty. Trying to avoid an ice cream headache, she took large gulps of the milkshake and then rubbed her tongue along the roof of her mouth. To her surprise, she began to feel a bit better. The sugar from the fruit immediately eased the tenseness in her muscles, and the cold milk calmed her twitching. Managing to finish her burger, she kissed Happy goodbye and slid into the van as he shut the door before falling in behind Clay and the others.

Josie slept all the way home, not stirring when Happy slid her into his arms and stepped down from the van. Half-Sack took his keys and unlocked the front door before laying the keyring on the small table and locking the door as he left with a small wave.

Happy carried her up the stairs and laid her down on the large bed that had been bought and set up on Wednesday afternoon. The deep brown mahogany complemented the navy comforter and white sheets well, and he was glad that she hadn't picked something covered in flowers or ruffles. She had promised that, once the walls were painted a matching blue, it would be a room they could both be comfortable in. Tucking her legs in, he drew the blankets over her and draped his vest over the back of a chair that sat in front of the fireplace.

Retrieving his sketchbook and some pencils, he sank down in the stuffed chair. Josie had admitted that she loved him, and he had some work to do. He needed something that was uniquely his, but that wouldn't look foreign on her skin.

He was going to enjoy this.

Josie woke to the sound of a pencil scratching over paper, the windows beyond the sheer curtains an inky black. When she attempted to roll over to see what Happy was working so diligently on, however, her arms and legs gave a pulse of pain that stopped her short and caused her to gasp softly. The sound stopped, and Happy's tattooed head appeared over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Josie sighed. "Muscles are all sore."

"Need help?"

Nodding, she whimpered and flopped over on her stomach. "Frozen water bottle in the freezer. Can you roll it over my legs and arms? Need to cool the muscles."

"Thought heat was better?"

"Only after the first day." Shifting her legs, she attempted to find a spot to rest that didn't hurt and whimpered when she couldn't. "Cold now, then heat later."

Happy was quick about getting down to the kitchen and then ducked into the bathroom to get some ibuprofen to help ease the inflammation in her over-taxed muscles. After she swallowed the pills, he began rolling the bottle of ice over her legs and arms as well as along her back. Feeling herself relaxing, she managed to thank him for the light, cold massage before dropping off to sleep.

Happy continued with the cold therapy even after she drifted off until she began to shiver. He placed two more pills on her table along with a glass of water before he climbed back into bed. Stretching his arms and hands, he got back to work. He wanted to have the design completely finished before morning.

When next Josie woke, it was on another groan of pain. Washing down the two pills that had been left for her, she checked the time and hobbled into the bathroom to begin filling the claw foot tub with nice, hot water and some mentholated bath oil. Her left heel boasted a small blister that didn't appear to need any special care, and her muscles were all sore, though nothing felt numb or sprained. It was only eleven o'clock, and she knew Happy would be putting a few hours in at the garage. After that, Gemma had required that all the Sons in Charming be at her charity event. With everyone else busy, Josie had time for a long soak and a decent breakfast before putting in an appearance of her own.

After her bath, she sipped a cup of warm Echinacea tea and nibbled some eggs for breakfast. Past races had resulted in cases of the sniffles each time, and she wanted to stave them off if possible. Sipping a glass of water after she ate, Josie organized her silver – left to her by her maternal grandmother and in the Melrose pattern, the scratches from where her great great grandmother had buried it in the back yard to guard against it being stolen by Yankee soldiers nearly 150 years before making her smile – into the drawer with its small wooden separators. That finished, she sent a text to Happy to inform him that she would be arriving at the school in a little over an hour.

Knowing that there would be a few members from another club present for Gemma's annual affair, Josie chose her outfit carefully. A green Lilly Pulitzer dress with a magnolia pattern was paired with her favorite white picot lace Jack Rogers flip flops. Her gold monogrammed earrings were matched to a multi-chain bracelet around her wrist. Her hair was secured half up by a green bow at the nape of her neck even though her floppy sunhat would be planted over it. Finishing her makeup, she slipped on her sunglasses and poured some ice tea into her favorite travel cup. The vest felt cool on her bare shoulders, and she only zipped it a few inches before donning her hat, climbing into her truck, and backing out of the garage.

The charity fair was set up in the school courtyard with booths for food and games lining either side of the grassy area. Josie contained her groans and pulled herself up straight as she made her way slowly across the lawn. Bobby was dressed as Elvis, giving makeovers to the junior high kids and getting them to do Elvis moves while he sang to them. Josie stopped to sing a verse of Love Me Tender with the older man before moving along to find Happy.

Happy was leaning against the wall, listening to Tig complain about helping Gemma out and about having Kyle Hobart around when he had been the reason behind Opie's five year stint. A few of the boys from the Devil's Tribe club had come down from Nevada as a show of friendship, and Happy was having a laugh with Jury, Needles, and Hopper while they discussed the various ways they would like to make the excommunicated bastard pay. When Hopper let out a low whistle, the others all turned to follow his line of vision.

"Oh, look at what we've got goin' on here!"

Tig chuckled. "I wouldn't, brother."

"Why's that?" The younger man craned his neck to follow the petite redhead as she scanned the small gathering in search of someone. "A girl like that wouldn't be out alone if she had a man."

"Wait for it," Tig nearly giggled when Happy gave a sharp whistle, drawing her attention and turning the others in his direction.

Josie's smile was infectious, her eyes a sea of happiness, as she caught sight of the line of men smoking under a sign that expressly forbid the very action. Shaking her head at their orneriness, she made her way over as quickly as her aching legs would allow. When he tossed his cigarette butt and extended his arm, she went to him for a welcoming kiss. He slid his arm around her waist and easily lifted her off the ground, and she giggled before letting her knees bend and kick up behind her playfully. When he sat her down, he swept her hair to the side and watched as understanding dawned on the faces of the visitors as they read the words on her back.

"Feeling a bit possessive today, are we?" Josie smiled and cuddled against him under his arm.

Happy snorted. "Always."

"Well, shit," Jury chuckled. "Congratulations, man."

Needles and Hopper soon added their voices to the mix, and Josie smiled softly in return.

"This is Jury, he's President of the Devil's Tribe out of Nevada. They're an ally club. That's Needles and Hopper, two of his men." Happy pointed to each man as he introduced them and then nodded down at her. "This is my Josie."

"Pleased to meet you, Josie." Jury smiled at her the way older men usually did, with a touch of protectiveness and familiarity that said she reminded them of someone. "If you're ever out our way and need anything, you give us a yell."

"Yes sir, thank you." Looking up at Happy, Josie smiled softly. "You get anything to eat before you left?"

Shaking his head, he nodded toward the line of tents. "Go grab us something."

"Oh, yes I will." Winking, Josie sat her cup of tea on the cement and laughed as he swatted at her skirt when she walked away.

"So Happy's landed himself an Old Lady, huh?" Jury shook his head and watched as Josie ducked into the last tent on the right. "And, from the look of it, a real Southern Belle at that."

"Oh, she's a real lady, alright," Tig chuckled. "Unless she's doing some crazy obstacle course race."

Launching into the tale of Josie's race the day before, he regaled the eager listeners with as many details as he could remember or reasonable create. Happy merely shook his head, nodded, or supplied a detail or comment when necessary. He was busy watching as his girl moved from tent to tent, her hands becoming more and more full as she went.

Using a hard plastic tray from one of the first tents she visited, Josie filled six plates with grilled corn on the cob, brats, cheeseburgers, and a small bowl of Gemma's chilli each. She knew Happy was only telling her to get food for the two of them, but she didn't see where retrieving some for his brother and friends would be a bad thing. She was glad to have started at the far end so that she had less and less to walk with each item she added to the plates. Stacking five cans of soda, she managed to balance them and carry the lot of it up the few steps to where she had left the men. Making sure Happy had the plate with the largest helpings, Josie distributed the rest before digging in to her own food.

"You didn't have to get us anything," Jury held up his plate as if he needed to clarify. "Thank you, though.'

"It wasn't any problem," Josie shrugged and made quick work of her chilli and corn before moving on to the brat and burger she had prepared for herself.

Tig took a swallow of his soda. "Feeling all better, pussycat?"

"Still sore, but nothing all that bad or out of the ordinary." Sipping her tea, Josie managed another smile for the older man. "Should be right as rain in a few days, though I'll probably just piddle around the house for a while anyway."

"Got a lot to do?"

She sighed with a tired smile. "Need to get some painting done, and I want to put some hooks under the shelves in the kitchen for cups. It's really just organizing stuff, really. There will be more furniture to buy at some point, though it's going to wait a little while."

"We'll send the prospect out to help if you need it." Tig chuckled.

Jax strode up to the group before she could respond. "Our Asian friend is ready for lunch."

"Already?" Tig frowned and looked over the others.

"Yeah," he nodded his hello to Josie and then turned to Jury. "You guys go back to the clubhouse and wait for us there."

Josie watched as the men stacked the empty plates and cans on her tray. "I'll go see what Gemma needs me to help with."

"Don't push yourself too hard. If you need to go home, then you go." When she nodded slowly, he grinned. "Need to take a little asshole to retrieve some money. Shouldn't be too bloody."

"Thanks for telling me." Josie was aware that she would have to get used to this new level of information, and wanted to remain open to it instead of reacting in a way that would put him off apprising her.

"I fuckin' mean it, little girl. Don't let her wear you out."

Josie nodded a little more quickly. "I'll call the BINGO for the old people or something I can do sitting down."

"Good." Winking, he kissed her soundly. "I've got some sketches for you to look at later, and you need to be awake for it."


	14. Bonding and Meeting Mom

_**A/N: **__I picked a name for Happy's mother here. It means 'beautiful serpent', and I couldn't resist. __**IMPORTANT: There is a link to pics of her bike, hair, outfits, guns, and tattoos on my profile. Let me know what you think! **__To those wondering about my Walking Dead story, I'm sorry it's taking me so long, but Happy got loud in my head and I had to write him out._

Josie removed her helmet and shook her skirt out around her ankles as she slid off her bike and headed into the clubhouse. The lightweight linen skirt began a sky blue at her waist and slowly darkened until beautiful navy fluttered around just above the ground. The white tank top she wore was covered by her vest.

"Hey, pussycat!" Tig waved from his spot by the bar. "Come to fix us food?"

Giggling, Josie nodded. "Well, my schedule is still a bit messed up from moving and trying to get things all set up. Thought I'd come and cook for ya'll while I waited for the antique store in town to call me about delivering my Hosier cabinet."

Happy stepped out of Chapel, followed by Bobby and Jax. Pulling her close, he placed a searing kiss on her lips. "'Sup, little girl?"

"Just ran into the pastor and his wife at the post office after missing church yesterday, so I'm sure my new accessory has tongues a waggin' by now." With a shrug, Josie placed her helmet on a table and went to the bar to retrieve a glass of tea from the pitcher she had begun to leave there. "Pastor says I should make it a point to come to prayer meetings. I think he figures I need the help in trying to keep ya'll in God's good graces."

Tig snorted. "Talk about a waste of time, and what the hell is a Hosier cabinet?"

"A Hosier is big cabinet for the kitchen with lots of cool compartments and a marble slab for baking. I got it for cheap, because the owner has no idea how to price things. And prayer is **never **a waste of time!" Josie sipped her tea and winked at Happy. "It's my job to pray for all ya'll."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Jax and Bobby have to make a run out to Indian Hills. Need to patch over the Devil's Tribe."

"Patch over?" Josie scrunched her nose. "Does this mean you're getting some more brothers?"

Nodding as Jax joined them, Happy grinned. "Mayan assholes are getting squirrelly, and we need the numbers in Nevada."

"Okay. Are you going to have to go?" Looking at the blonde, Josie smiled her hello.

Happy shook his head. "Not unless the Prez needs to go out there tonight. If not later, then tomorrow."

"Well, let me know. I'm trying to get my housekeeping schedule solidified." Looking between the men, Josie spoke to them as one. "Do you happen to know where I can get some decent wood and sturdy, thin rope?"

"We got plenty of rope here." Happy sipped her tea and nearly choked at the amount of sugar she had dissolved in the liquid. "What do you need it for?"

Josie shrugged and poured another glass of tea. "Need to set up a clothesline."

Happy grinned. "I'll grab the prospect and have it up for you by this afternoon."

"Really?" Josie leaned over the bar and kissed him softly. "Thanks, big guy. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You have a housekeeping schedule?" Jax frowned and shook his head. "Wendy wasn't big on cleaning."

Josie smirked sardonically. "I could tell. I helped your mom get the house clean last week"

"Anyway, yes, I have a schedule. Every day, beds are made, dishes are done, anything lying about gets tidied, the front porch is swept, and at least one load of clothes is washed. On Mondays, I clean the bathrooms from the floors up. In all, I've made one bed, washed a few glasses and a plate, swept the porch, and washed a load of jeans. Not a lot to do when the house hasn't been lived in."

Josie giggled. "Anyway, on Tuesdays is bedroom day with sheets getting changed, closets getting organized, CDs/books/DVDs are put away, and all glass is washed down. Wednesdays are for the kitchen, and I clean all counters, the fridge, pantry, floors, and oven get wiped down. Thursday is grocery and errand day. Friday is for cleaning all floors, dusting anything that hasn't been done yet, and all windows and mirrors get cleaned. Saturday is for yard work or, occasionally, the garage."

"You're shitting me, aren't you."

Josie shook her head lightly. "I was taught to clean a bit each day to keep it from getting out of hand."

The men all stared at her blankly, and Josie just shrugged. Retreating to the kitchen, she was pleased to see that her grocery list had been followed. Grabbing the chicken, buttermilk, and flour, she set about frying some chicken for lunch. Greens and potato salad from the deli counter at the grocery store would have to suffice for sides.

The men dug in quickly when she returned with the first three platters, though most of them were avoiding the greens. Josie sent Half-Sack out to retrieve Gemma from the office and the others from the garage before she returned to the fizzling skillets to pull out more meat. She had a feeling that there wouldn't be many leftovers once the men were full.

"Hi!" Donna's voice was giggly as she walked through the door on her husband's arm, and Josie was happy to see that she and Opie looked to be on more solid footing since the race and Gemma's charity get-together two days before. "Cooking for everyone now?"

"It's feeding time at the zoo." Josie winked. "Finished my light jog and yoga this morning, and did what I could around the house. There are a few empty rooms still, but I'm in no rush."

"Hey, Donna," Tig spoke around a cheek full of chicken. "Do you have a crazy cleaning chart like Pussycat?"

"A what?" Accepting a plate from the other woman, Donna added some greens before taking a wing.

"He's making fun of my cleaning organization, but we both know a house doesn't just take care of itself."

"God, I wish they did." The brunette snorted a laugh. "My house is always so insane."

Josie frowned slightly in thought before brightening. "I could come over and help get it in line, if you want."

"Really?" If she noticed Gemma staring at the two of them from her spot at the end of the bar, Donna didn't let on. "It wouldn't be too much trouble?"

Josie shook her head. "Happy's got a run coming up, and it would give me something to do during the day."

Raising her eyebrows in question, she looked at Opie while speaking to Donna. "As long as Opie doesn't mind?"

"Nah, it's cool." Reaching for another piece of chicken, he grinned slightly. "This is real good. Thanks."

"No problem," Josie looked over at Happy and slid him another huge piece of white meat before filling her own plate. "If these guys are brothers, then that makes us sorta sisters, right?"

"Right," Gemma gave her a proud smirk from her seat beside Clay.

Josie giggled. "Momma Gem, you want to come with?"

When Donna managed a smile and a nod, Gemma nodded in return. "Of course!"

Josie got the phone call from the antique store letting her know that they would be delivering her cabinet soon after finishing lunch, and she left Half-Sack to finish the dishes. Leaning into Happy's embrace, she went up on her tiptoes to ghost a kiss over his strong jaw. She knew he would be at the house with supplies for the clothesline soon, but she wanted to get in as many kisses as she could before he had to leave.

"You look over those sketches I left for you?" Happy had given her five different ideas for her crow, and wanted her input on what he was going to ink on her skin within the week. "Narrowed them down at all?"

"Yeah, I've got it narrowed to three." Josie was in love with his ideas, and wanted the final decision to be his alone. "You pick the one you like the most, and we'll do it."

"The prospect is gon' be busy wi' dishes." Chibs jerked his head toward the kitchen, where the younger man could be heard cursing at the amount of things he had been ordered to wash. "Wan' me to help wi' your girl's project?"

Happy gave a nod. "Yeah."

"Well, I'll see ya'll at the house in a few." Accepting another kiss, Josie skipped out the door. Waving to everyone, she tucked her skirt around her legs as she mounted her bike and strapped on her helmet.

She beat the delivery truck to the house and had the door propped open when the two men from the shop arrived. Smiling over their compliments to her new home, she directed them to place the heavy oak cupboard against the kitchen wall next to the pantry. By the time Happy's bike roared up the driveway and Chibs arrived in the work truck with their supplies, she was sipping tea with the front porch swing.

The two went to work nailing crossbeams to heavy posts before planting them in the ground. Josie pointed out where she wanted the line to run, envisioning a little garden shed in the left corner of the large back yard and a room for her gym behind the garage at the right. The men worked together easily in the hot sun, sliding their cuts and shirts off and laying them over the railing of the back porch when Josie offered them a beer during a smoke break. Having finished her work inside, and uncertain as to whether or not she should start preparing dinner, Josie stepped out onto the shaded porch and admired the sight in front of her.

Happy's skin glowed in the bright afternoon light, his tattoos flashing color here and there. The muscles of his arms and back bunched and twitched as he held a pole or shoveled dirt into the deep holes. Josie felt herself grow wet as she listened to the two men grunting and cursing over their work. When they were finished running the lines that would hold her laundry as it dried and gathered the tools together, Josie slipped back inside to get them another beer.

She heard the Dutch door leading from the back porch to the breakfast nook open and close while she was leaning into the fridge. "Ya'll want another beer?"

"Nah, Chibs had to bail." Strong arms drew her hips into his sun-warmed thighs, and he chuckled when she moaned and rubbed against him slightly as she straightened. "Gotta head out soon. They need Clay for the patch over ceremony."

As he spoke, Happy ran his hands down her thighs and began bunching her skirt up around her hips.

Josie sighed and shut the refrigerator door, letting herself enjoy the feel of his work-roughened hands sliding over the soft skin of her legs. "Have to leave now?"

"Not just yet. Told them I needed to grab supplies." His mouth found the sensitive spot behind her ear and along the curve of her shoulder.

Whimpering, she let him lead her to the kitchen island where he easily bent her over the wood and marble. Grasping her lacy panties, he dragged them off her legs and over her bare feet before stuffing them in his back pocket. Freeing himself from his jeans and boxers, he barely remembered to roll a condom on before he bent his knees and began to ease inside her willing body.

"Oh," Josie pushed back against him.

Her legs collided with his knees, and she realized that she was too short for this angle and position. Pulling away from him, she flipped around quickly and hopped up on the island before his growl of displeasure registered.

"Come here." Wrapping her legs around his waist, she brought him back against her.

Entering her more forcefully, Happy let his hands grasp her thighs as tightly as they wanted. When Josie gave a gasping sigh and yanked him closer, his chest rumbled in pleasure. Holding her left thigh, he reached behind her to wrap his hand over the far edge of the platform, using the strength in his arm to add to the power of his movements.

Josie moaned loudly, her head falling back on her shoulders, when he began thrusting harshly into her tight channel. He smelled of leather, sweat, and sunshine. His growls and grunts more animalistic than she had ever heard before. She felt another wave of desire crash through her, flooding around him on a surge of liquid.

"Like this, little girl?"

"Oh, God! Happy!" Josie felt herself tense before her muscles began twitching and grasping at him as he moved inside her. "Oh, shit, Happy! Fuck me harder!"

Wrapping his arms under her thighs, he slid her off the island and turned with her in his arms. Slamming against some shelves, he was glad to see they were still empty. Josie reached up beside her head and arched against his aggression. He loved the look on her face, the wild abandon in her responses.

"This better?"

Josie twitched around him at his words, whimpering as she sank her teeth into the flesh of his still bare shoulder. Happy's shout of pleasure goaded her into biting down harder, and she didn't stop until she tasted a faint tang of copper on her tongue. Slamming into her harder, he felt her tensing around him. She couldn't stop the short, gasping shouts that poured out of her with each thrust of her hips against the wood plank behind her.

Twisting her fingers in his cut, she came screaming and shuddering against him.

Happy followed quickly, sinking his fingers into the toned flesh of her thighs and whispering his desire and possession of her into her ear. His words and sandpaper voice combined to bring her off again. She slumped against him, her muscles spent and quivering as he supported her weight.

"I love you Happy Lowman, but you can't keep my underwear."

Happy chuckled and slowly let her down. "Yeah, I can."

**Happy**

The ride up to Indian Hills had only taken a few hours, and Happy had taken the time to think over what he had planned for Josie. He knew the exact crow he was going to ink into her skin, how it would stretch its wings and where it would stare out of her flesh, telling the world that she was his. The thought that he should take her to meet his mother wouldn't leave him, and he resolved to do that as soon as he could. He wanted them to like each other.

Sitting around outside the other club's home base, Happy lit a cigarette off the one he had just finished smoking. He had never been a fan of sitting around and waiting on someone else to make a decision, especially when that choice should have been a no-brainer. This smaller club needed to join up with the Sons officially if they wanted to survive. Why was that so hard to understand?

When Clay gave the signal from where he had been quietly speaking with Jax, he and the rest of the men stood from where they had been leaning or sitting on their bikes. Some of the men leaving the clubhouse threw their jean cuts on the ground, obviously disgruntled with how things had played out and unwilling to stay around for the changes about to take place. Jax looked a bit sad at forcing his father's friend to take on the patch of a club he had no hand in forming, but Happy knew the younger man had a lot to deal with.

Clay said a few words and spray painted the SoA on the new charter's wall, signifying a changing of the guard. The signs on the outside of the building would be switched in the coming days, though the new brothers would wear the Reaper from now on. It was always a good feeling when he gained more brothers in his strange, functionally dysfunctional family.

After hugging a few of the new men, Happy threw up an arm in glee. "Patch over party!"

A cheer went up from the assembled room, and the girls came out of the back rooms to entertain the men. Bobby soon had a giggly African American woman stretched out on one of the long tables, slurping shots off her skin. There were a few girls dancing together, laughing and touching as they moved provocatively against each other. Others danced on small circular stages set among the couches and chairs.

Happy drank deeply from the bottle of Jack he had liberated from the bar, enjoying the burn as it coursed down his throat. There were a few girls worth looking at, though none of them suited his taste. There seemed to be something wrong with every single one he looked at, though that didn't stop him from looking. He **was **a man, after all, and looking had not been listed as a crime in any city he had ever visited.

Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to Josie to let her know that the Sons of Anarchy now had a Nevada chapter. When she sent a congratulatory text back almost immediately, he grinned.

Jury was sitting at the bar, talking with Clay. When the SAMCRO president stood to take a decent looking girl from the prospect, Happy shrugged. It wasn't his business who the older man slept with, as long as the club ran the way it was supposed to. Standing from his seat, he joined the new chapter's president at the corner of the bar.

"My girl says welcome to the family." Sitting his bottle on the wooden counter, he slid into a seat.

Jury nodded and looked around. "You got a real good woman, Happy. She takes care of people the way a woman ought to."

"Yeah, she's good at that."

"Things are going to be different around here, now." Jury waved to a few of the women walking by.

"Shit changes all the time." Happy shrugged. "Can't stop it."

"Adaptation is what has been keeping men alive for millions of years."

"Yeah."

"Speaking of adapting and change," Jury chuckled. "You seem a bit different since before you met that cute little redhead. More centered."

"Feel the same." Happy grinned and went back to watching the women dance and his brothers take advantage of being on a run.

Jax was passing him, clutching the hand of the giggly blonde that had, apparently, ridden in with him and Bobby that afternoon. He was sure there was a story behind that, and knew he would hear it from one of them eventually. These bikers gossiped worse than his mother, and stories did not stay secret for long. Funny tidbits were passed on even more quickly and frequently than usual.

When the dwindling population of the main room became obvious, and the girls who had not been picked up by other brothers began casting him lustful glances, Happy tottered drunkenly to the room he had been loaned for the night. None of the club women interested him, and he didn't see the point in taking some girl back for head when he wasn't even certain that it would happen. His last non-experience with the Croweater in Tacoma had shown him that Josie was a thousand times better than some random piece of ass, and he could be extremely patient when it made sense to be.

_In the meantime, _Happy grinned to himself and slid the scrap of navy blue lace from his back pocket and freed himself from his jeans before lying back on the bed. As Josie's unique scent wafted up from the material in his hand, he began rubbing it over his hardening cock. _She really does smell like fuckin' heaven. _

**Josie**

After Happy drove down the lane to meet the others at the clubhouse, Josie had eaten a quiet dinner of spaghetti before settling in with a stack of supplies to make a household binder to give to Donna the next morning. She had been taught from a young age that an organized home led to a calm home, and she knew Happy would appreciate that. Opie, from what Josie could tell from their few meetings, would also enjoy peace and quiet when he could get it.

Happy had explained the situation in Indian Hills to her while he checked for extra ammo and she slipped a change of clothes into his saddle bags. He had raised an eyebrow at her when he opened the pack to drop in what he saw as essential, but didn't mention or remove the jeans and shirt. She knew that adding more members was an important step in the process of overcoming the combined threat of the Mayans and Nords, but she worried about him being caught up in something that could get him hurt.

Now, she did a yoga routine which, though lighter than her prerace sessions, left her breathing heavily before jumping in the shower. It was always difficult to get back into a routine after a race of any distance, and she had to be easy on her body for a few more days before starting any sort of workout regimen. The shower did the trick, though, and she stepped out feeling refreshed and lighter than she had in days.

Arriving at Donna's house just after the kids had left for school, Josie set her to putting together a notebook while she herself set about doing some housework. After folding the sheets and towels that had just come out of the dryer, Josie put a load of dark colored clothes in the washer and wiped down the washer and dryer themselves. Wiping down the kitchen counters and sorting through the cabinets, Josie used some plastic bins she bought at the dollar store to categorize the cans and assorted containers into a more manageable system. She located the broom and mop and took care of the floors before switching the clothes to the dryer.

"Wow," Donna's voice was shocked at the difference in her kitchen. "You didn't have to do all this.'

"Nonsense!" Josie waved of the other woman's gushing. "It was no problem."

Donna stood in front of her cabinets and giggled. "Have you ever thought about doing this for a living?"

"I think Happy might have an issue with me cleaning people's homes as a profession."

"Oh, God! He would **hate **that!" Donna snorted a laugh. "No, I meant organizing and stuff."

"Huh," Josie shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it."

Gemma arrived with coffee for the three of them. Realizing that Josie was the queen of making sure everything was designated a place and then put there, Gemma sat back and watched the younger woman work for a moment. Rolling her sleeves up, she started dusting and vacuuming while the other two finished organizing the rest of the kitchen and moved on to the small dining room, Donna taking before and after pictures as they went. They all tackled the kids' rooms, and then Josie brought out a few totes and baskets to whip the bathroom into shape. Donna assured them that she could handle the bedroom the next morning, and treated them to a late lunch at the diner in town.

"I was telling Josie that she should do this for a living." Donna stared at the redhead's plate as the other woman ate what looked like enough to feed two full grown men.

Gemma nodded and sipped her coffee. "I know more than a few people who could do with a lesson in organization."

"I could email you the pictures we took earlier, and you could put together a brochure or website!" Donna nodded at the girl's incredulous look. "I'm **sure **there are some people even here in town that would love some help."

Josie nodded and gulped down some tea before she responded. "Send me the pictures and I'll think about it. House stuff has kept me pretty busy lately, but I'm going to get bored at some point soon."

"That's where having kids adds something to your days." Donna sighed. "There's always something that needs to be done, or a kid that needs something."

Gemma gave that slow grin that said she was thinking about something. "Any plans for little Lowmans in the future?"

Josie laughed lightly. "I always wanted kids, but we haven't talked about it or anything."

"Well, no time like the present." Gemma jerked her head in the direction of the door where Happy and some of the others had just walked in.

"Yeah. . ." Josie smirked. "Think we'll wait until we're alone to have that talk."

The men crowded around the table as Donna excused herself. The twins were about to get out of school, and she needed to be home when they got off the bus. Happy kissed Josie hello and then pulled her to her feet before taking her seat and perching her on his knee.

"Have ya'll eaten?"

Happy nodded. "Grabbed something before we left. Saw your cars here, so we stopped."

"Was there anything you needed to do at the garage?"

Shaking his head, Happy waited until she was finished eating before offering his goodbyes and leading her from the small restaurant. "Need to take you to meet someone."

"Who?" Josie paused beside her truck door, smiling when he pulled it open for her.

"My mom and aunt." Happy didn't miss the way her eyes widened in shock. "Want you to see her before I ink you, and I want to get that at least started tonight."

Josie nodded and then looked down at her dirty, dusty clothes and unkempt hair. "I'm going to need a shower and a change."

"Figured you would." Happy chuckled and climbed onto his bike to lead her home.

Hopping in, Josie fired up the GMC, enjoying the way the old truck shook just a bit and following him out of the lot. Making it home, she quickly finished her shower and pulled on a pair of jeans suitable for riding long distance. Slipping a white silk camisole over her head, she added a boat necked, long sleeve shirt made of a pretty lace pattern. Peep toe heels in Tiffany blue with off white ankle straps and little bows on the vamp finished out the ensemble. Braiding her hair, she made sure to add a matching blue hair bow to her clutch purse before sliding her vest on and heading down the stairs.

Happy trailed his eyes over Josie as she walked into the kitchen, the vest on her back never failing to draw a possessive, proud smirk from his face. "Look good, girl."

"Really?" She gave a bit of a turn. "I was hoping I looked okay. Kind of hard to find something to ride in for a few hours that is also good for meeting your man's momma."

Happy snorted. "Could probably wear a garbage bag and she'd still like you."

"Hope so." Josie hated feeling insecure or nervous, but meeting Mrs. Lowman had her nerves jumping and her stomach twisting.

Pointing to the saddle bag in which she should store her things, Happy swung a leg over the bike. When she fastened her black and light blue helmet and slid on behind him, he let himself enjoy the line of her body against his own before thumbing the engine to life. Josie gave a giggle and settled in for a long ride when Happy accelerated down the quiet country road.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Nearly two hours later, they crossed into Bakersfield city limits. Josie had enjoyed the ride, loving the way Happy took corners and controlled his bike flawlessly. She privately rejoiced that he had added a sissy bar for her to rest against, allowing her the relax and only loosely hold on when they were on the more straight segments of road. She hated to feel like she was clinging to his back and effecting his driving.

The house Happy pulled up to was a pretty blue, though the paint had seen better days and was peeling in places. The doors had all been painted a cheerful yellow much more recently, and Josie was enchanted with the swath of daisies and red justicia leading to the door. Josie stood and took a moment to let her hair down before securing it at the back of her neck with her bow. As Happy dismounted and removed his helmet and glasses, the front door flew open and a tiny Mexican woman hurried down the walk.

"Happy, _mi hijo_! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Pulling the much taller man into a hug, she kissed him affectionately on the cheek. "I would have made something special."

"Hey, ma." Happy kissed her weathered cheek in return before drawing away and standing to his full height.

Turning to Josie, the older woman smiled broadly. "And who is this beautiful young lady?"

Extending her arm, he drew Josie close to his side. "Abelinda Lowman, meet Josephine Allaway. Josie, this is my ma."

Offering her hand, Josie smiled and switched easily to Spanish. "_It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lowman._"

Letting loose a cackle of pure joy, Abelinda ignored her hand and drew her into a tight hug. "_The pleasure is all mine. I was beginning to worry about my quiet son._"

Soaking up the feeling of a mother's hug, a luxury she had often been denied by her own mother, Josie giggled. "He can be a difficult."

Happy watched the exchange and smirked to himself. The two of them would be getting along just fine, he decided, though he was suddenly uncertain if that would mean good or bad things for him. He watched as his Josie wrapped his mother's arm in hers and walked her carefully back down the sidewalk in front of him.

The women set about making dinner while they talked, his mother eying the vest the younger woman wore before raising her brows at him over her shoulder. His aunt arrived from running errands soon after and was introduced to the redhead with similar results. The three worked well together, turning out pork carnitas, rice with lime and cilantro, and churros for dessert.

It wasn't until his aunt took Josie outside to get a few starts of the justicia flowers for her own garden that Abelinda turned stern eyes on her son. "You need to marry that girl."

"Ma," Happy growled. "She's gonna take my crow. That's enough for us."

"No," she shook her head and sipped her strong black coffee while pinning him with a look he had grown accustomed to in his troubled teen years. It was a look that said she was much more experienced than he at something, and that he was going to listen to what she had to tell him. "That's enough for **you**."

When Happy remained silent, she sighed. "A good girl like that wants to get married and do things right. Without that, she's always going to wonder if you're really there for her."

Happy sniffed. "Told her I am."

"Oh, _hijo_." Abelinda frowned. "What about if you get sent to prison again? Or if something happens to you? Prisons and hospitals will let a wife do things a girlfriend is not allowed."

Happy hadn't thought about what would happen if he were hurt or locked up. Josie wouldn't be able to make decisions about what should be done if he couldn't tell people himself. There would be no special treatment for her if he were on the inside for an extended period of time. The Club would take care of a Brother's Old Lady, but wives were given more consideration than anyone else. She would be protected and looked after, even if he were dead.

Realizing that his mother made a good point, and hating to admit it, he sighed. "Don't have a ring."

Happy's terse response coaxed a smile from his mother, and she stood from her seat. "Follow me."

Leading him down the hall, she pushed open her bedroom door. Motioning him to sit on the bed, she continued on to her small dresser. Opening the jewelry box that rested there, she pulled a small black bag from the very bottom.

"I was saving this for you." Placing the bag in his large hands, she patted his cheek. "It was _mi madre's_."

Tipping the ring out into his palm, Happy was surprised at what he found. A deep green emerald in the shape of a teardrop, nearly half an inch long, sat surrounded by small diamonds. A double strand of diamonds formed a 'V' on either side of the main setting before joining together to construct a band of solid silver. He couldn't help but think that it suited Josie well.

Securing the ring in the inside pocket of his cut, he nodded at his mother.

Kissing her son on the cheek, Abelinda quietly left the room.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

The trip home was just as enjoyable as the journey down had been, and Josie was riding a wave of happiness over his mother and aunt's obvious acceptance. She thought the older ladies were interesting and fun, and they obviously loved Happy very much. That such a protective mother saw her as worthy of her son was something Josie would not take for granted.

Pulling the bike into the garage beside Josie's, Happy dismounted and followed her inside quietly. He wanted to find a time to give it to her, but had no intention of getting down on a knee like some pussy. He had thought about just taking her to bed and telling her about it there, but thought that wasn't something she would want. Not like you could retell that story to the grandkids. When Josie laid the three tattoo designs out on the kitchen island and told him to pick one, he knew.

Turning toward her, he kissed her nearly senseless before dropping the little velvet bag into her right hand. Frowning up at him in confusion, Josie pulled the drawstring closure open and upturned the pouch. She gasped, her empty hand flying to her mouth in shock as her eyes gazed up at his when the emerald and diamond ring came into view.

"Happy?"

He shrugged as if his stomach wasn't tied in knots at the soft, wonder-filled look she was giving him. "Figured you were taking my crow, so I should do things the way they are in your world."

"Oh, baby," Josie's watery voice betrayed her emotions even as she tried to reassure him. "I'm part of your world now, and the club has become my family. We don't have to –"

"Yeah, we do." Nodding, Happy leaned down and kissed her softly before slipping the ring on her finger. All the women in his family had been small, and the ring fit her well. "Now, I'm gonna get shit ready. You go put on one of those shirts with the strings."

"Strings?" Josie blinked at him. "You mean a halter top? Something without a back?"

Nodding, Happy began disinfecting the area. "Gonna need to be able to get to your shoulder, too."

Turning, Josie slowly made her way up the stairs and into her closet. The green gem on her finger winked and danced in the early evening light. Sliding her phone from her pocket, she sent a text out to both Donna and Gemma to let them know that she had been proposed to, and that she was getting ready to receive a tattoo. Tossing the phone on the bed, she wriggled out of her uncomfortable clothes and replaced them with a grey halter and a pair of cotton boyshorts. Comfort was key for this, and she didn't mind if these were ruined by blood or ink.

Returning to the kitchen, she felt the nervous buzz that always accompanied getting new ink. Reading over the responses to her text, Josie let herself be giddy. She was sure Happy had practical reasons for marrying her, but that was just the way he was. That he wanted to keep her, and that he was willing to tie himself to her, was enough. The reasoning really didn't matter.

Happy walked into the room carrying all the supplies he would need in two heavy totes, a bag of new inks hanging off his arm. "We're going to do this all in one shot unless you have to stop. We'll take breaks sometimes."

"Which one?" Josie's excitement was infectious as she bounced in her seat and watched him ready the little pots of ink.

Happy smirked and readied his gun, wrapping plastic around the bottom and pulling on his gloves. "You have to wait and see."

Smirking at her disappointed groan, he positioned her so that she straddled the back of the chair, her arms resting over the cushioned wood and her hair coiled up off her neck. Shaving the entire area carefully, he laid the tracing paper over her skin and transferred the design onto her back. Josie let out a quiet moan as the needle left its first mark, and Happy smiled in response.

The next few hours were going to be fun.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Josie made it through the outlining like a champ, her muscles twitching involuntarily only a few times as he went over more sensitive spots. Taking a quick break for him to have a few cigarettes and for her to stretch and have a drink, he smiled at the way the ink called to him from her back. Calling her back to the seat, he took up his position and began the task of filling in the color and adding the shading.

It was after two in the morning when he was finally satisfied with the results. Her top had been completely discarded along the way. A tree branch covered in peach blossoms wound from her left hip across her back to end over her right shoulder, a few blossoms resting on her upper arm and collarbone. The crow was coming in for a landing, its wings stretching from the edge of her left shoulder blade to her right collarbone, its feathers standing in stark relief against the porcelain of her skin and the subtle pinks of the peach blossoms. Its tail feathers fanned out over the space between her spine and the existing ink on her right side. In one talon, he clutched a ribbon of 12 happy faces, leaving plenty of room for more.

Setting up a few mirrors in the corner of their bedroom, he watched her face as he told her to open her eyes so she could examine his work. Her tears caught them both by surprise, and she whispered her love for him and for his work as she showered him in kisses.

"Your back ain't up for the check you're writing, little girl."

Smirking, Josie removed his shirt and pushed him down on the bed. "Guess that means I get to be on top."

When Happy groaned and began to work his jeans and boxers over his hips, Josie laughed in complete joy.


	15. Incidents In and Out of Bakersfield

_**A/N: **__Going AU here, everyone!_

Happy blinked into the morning light, his alarm drawing him away from the warmth of Josie's naked body. She was draped over his chest, her right leg resting over his thighs as her soft breaths puffed over his skin. From his spot on the pillows, he was able to see the new ink stretching across her back, her hair still braided up and around the crown of her head. Ghosting his fingers along her spine, he was happy to see that she didn't appear to be scabbing too badly, and that the redness that always accompanied new ink was almost nonexistent.

Forcing himself away from her porcelain skin and womanly curves, he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder when she began to stir. "Shhh… Too early for you to be awake. Go back to sleep, girl."

Mumbling sleepily, Josie snuggled into his pillow and drifted back to sleep as he made his way to the shower. It had felt strange at first, this being in a house with only one person, but he was acclimating quickly. He liked being able to have his girl in any room without an audience, as he would never share any part of her with another man, and Josie was more than content to do the housework. Happy had always been neater than others, a byproduct of his mother's diligent teaching, so Josie wasn't as put upon as she would have been with some of the brothers.

Finished with his shower, Happy scribbled a note, dressed quickly, and slid his cut from the pegs she had screwed into the wall before jogging down the stairs and into the kitchen. Josie had filled a crockpot with oats, apple pieces, and brown sugar the night before during one of their breaks, and he ate a large serving of the hot cereal before placing the bowl in the sink and heading to the garage. It looked to be a clear, bright day, and he hoped the garage would be busy.

Pulling up to the garage, he saw that no one was outside yet and decided to head inside to see why no one had opened up shop. The discussion he walked into upon entering the clubhouse stopped him short.

"A calendar would be a great idea!" Juice was bouncing slightly on his toes beside Chibs. "Advertise the garage."

Clay snorted. "What the hell do we need to advertise for? TM's the best garage in town."

Juice wasn't ready to concede his argument. "There are only so many cars in Charming, though, and bringing in people from other places could only be a good thing."

"Kid's go' a point." Chibs shrugged when all eyes turned to him. "Wouldn' be using Croweaters or anythin', though."

"Get your asses to work," Clay stood and turned toward the door. Catching sight of Happy standing just inside, he nodded. "Hey Hap."

"'Sup, Prez?"

"The retard wants to put together a calendar. Pull in more business." Tig answered for him.

Happy shrugged as he followed the others to the garage. "Business has been down lately. Could be an idea."

"You volunteering to model or some shit?" Clay chuckled. "I know! Let's put Piney on the cover."

Everyone laughed quietly as they began to open the bay doors and turn on lights. Ten minutes later, Gemma arrived with a proud smile for Happy before ducking into the office.

Clay caught the expression on his wife's face and turned toward the younger man. "Heard you put a crow and a ring on that little redhead of yours last night."

Tig, Juice, Chibs, and Jax all wheeled around to stare at the club assassin in disbelief, and Happy smirked at their expressions. "Damn straight, I did. Figured I should make things fair, since she isn't getting away from me."

"Well, shit," Jax stepped forward and drew him into a brotherly hug. "Congratulations, man."

The others followed suit, with Opie and Bobby joining in as they arrived and were told of the news. Happy grinned openly and let himself chuckle as they all began harassing him about wanting to keep a woman, and that it may serve to make him soft. Didn't they know that having Josie at home and knowing that she depended on him to be a strong, courageous man, only made him more focused on being that man? Realizing that he now had something all his own to fight for and protect would only make him more dangerous to their enemies.

Letting his brothers have their fun, he simply enjoyed another milestone in his life and went about readying his station for the day.

By the time Josie's dark green GMC pulled into the lot, the men were sitting on the picnic tables with nothing else to do with their time, waiting on Half-Sack to return with their lunch. There really had been less and less business lately, and they were beginning to have more days off than anyone desired. Clay and Gemma were sure that things would pick up once the weather grew colder, and people needed their brakes or lines replaced.

Josie hopped out of her truck and landed on a pair of screaming red heels, her toes peeking out of the small opening at the front matching the patent leather perfectly. The hem of her skirt fell to just below her knees and was flared due to the petticoats she had donned after her shower. She had chosen the black and white checked dress for the open halter top it featured, but decided to play up the rockabilly look with red accessories, scarlet lipstick, and thick black eyeliner. Her hair had been pulled up into victory rolls at the front and then secured into a curled side ponytail that trailed over her left shoulder and was adorned at the base with a large red flower. The black sash under her bust both showcased the tininess of her waist and helped support her breasts.

Juice whistled lowly from his spot next to Chibs. "That's what we need to put on a calendar."

Happy's first impulse was to lay into his brother for eyeing his Old Lady, but couldn't deny the appeal of her looking that good standing next to her vintage truck. "Planning on putting her on every month?"

"Why the hell not?!" Tig chuckled. "Let her pick her own clothes, you okay the shit, and we have one of Luanne's people take the pictures."

"You want a porn bitch to take pictures of my girl?" Happy's growl matched his sudden frown.

Tig shrugged, used to his friend's reactions. "We'd all be there to make sure nothing happened. Hell, most of it could be done on the lot."

Clay had been watching Josie as she caught sight of the men and began to make her way across the stained asphalt, shrugged. "A girl like that on a calendar for the shop wouldn't be a bad idea, brother."

"See?" Juice stood and held his hands out in a 'look at this' manner just as Josie made it to their covered perches. "I **told **you this would work."

"Hey, Happy." Skirting the younger man, she wanted to ask what he was talking about, but knew she should greet her new fiancée first in front of the others. She took pleasure in Juice's quiet 'wow' as he was the first to see her new tattoo while she slid into Happy's lap and kissed him hello. "Been busy today?"

"Nah," shaking his head, he draped his arm around her waist, carefully caressing her side to keep from pressing on the inflamed skin. "Not a lot of cars to work on lately."

"I'm sure things will pick up soon." Turning to the others, Josie smiled. "Hello, boys."

Clay chuckled. "Hey, Josie. You look very nice today."

"Thanks," Josie grinned. "Happy decided that he needed to go big with the ink, and I didn't feel like trying to find jeans that didn't rub the lowest part of it."

"Well, stand up!" Chibs made a twirling motion with his finger. "Give us a spin."

Complying, Josie rose and slowly spun so they could all get a look at the ink adorning her back. Low whistles and murmurs from the men told Josie that they approved long before she finished her circle. Jax and Chibs were slapping Happy on the back by the time Gemma joined the group at the table and looked over the work herself.

"Very nicely done, Happy."

"Letmesee, letmesee, letmesee!" Donna nearly took the car door off the hinges as she hurried onto the lot after finishing with her own housework.

Josie laughed from where she was once again perched primly on Happy's thighs. "The ring or the ink?"

"Honey," Gemma grinned as she lit a cigarette. "The men want to see the ink. **Women** want the ring."

Thrusting her left hand dramatically in front of her, she laughed at Gemma's gasp and Donna's girlish squeal. "Isn't it just so pretty? It was his grandmother's."

"Oh, that's just so . . . sweet!" Donna sounded stunned.

"Don't sound so surprised!" Josie defended her usually stoic fiancée. "Happy has his moments."

Gemma nudged Donna out of the way so she could kiss Clay and then get a better look at the emerald and diamond setting. "They all do darlin'. That's the reason we can love them so much."

The men grumbled over the women calling them sweet, but they were all smiling as they did it. Even men who wear patches and break the law regularly want to be good sometimes. Half-Sack arrived with lunch, proudly displaying the bag that held food for the women. He had had a hunch that they would be around for food, and didn't want them to go hungry.

"That was good thinking, Kip." Gemma accepted her food and slid to sit beside Clay.

Josie took the Styrofoam box and began to stand, but was held in place by Happy's heavy arm. Shrugging, she opened the large container to find a salad topped with fried chicken strips and two packages of dressing. "Thank you so much!"

Shrugging bashfully, the club's only prospect blushed. "It's no problem. Just trying to make sure the Old Ladies are taken care of the way they should be."

"I could get used to this." Donna giggled. "It's pretty great to have all the house stuff done and be able to talk to people who aren't stuck in junior high.'

Gemma looked up from her own food. "Josie, have you thought about Donna's suggestion?"

"What suggestion?" Opie was frowning at his wife, who smiled sweetly in return.

Josie swallowed before answering. "She thinks I should hire myself out as a professional organizer. Get people's houses in shape and show them how to keep things orderly."

"Like a maid?" Happy frowned.

Shaking her head, she wrapped her leg around his in order to rub along his calf with the top of her foot. "No; not like a maid. I would probably help them clean their home or office once, show them better ways to do things, and then leave the rest to them."

"There are a lot of people who could use the help." Gemma smirked at the men around her. "Houses don't clean themselves, people."

"I'll think about it," Happy sniffed. "Juice thinks that we should put Josie on a calendar and sell it. Advertise for the garage."

Nearly choking on a piece of chicken, Josie coughed. "Me? Why in heaven's name would you want to do that?"

"Are you telling me you have no idea how pretty you are?" Donna's eyebrows had nearly vacated her forehead altogether. "Do you **have **a mirror at home?"

"I figure I'm okay lookin'. Happy seems to think so." Josie shrugged. "Just not any prettier than you or Gemma."

"Well, aren't you a sweetheart." Gemma patted the younger woman on the knee.

Frowning uncertainly, Josie looked at Happy over her shoulder. "What do you think?"

"Think it'll be okay. We'll do it either on the lot or around town." He squeezed her slightly, proud that she had deferred to him in front of the others. "Someone will be with you the whole time so nothing gets out of hand."

Juice, bouncing more than usual, smiled broadly from the end of the table. "You could wear what you have on now, and get a picture with your truck. You girls could pick out all the clothes and shit so you're not uncomfortable."

"Okay," Josie nodded and smiled at everyone. "If you're sure."

As the others all went back to their lunches and various conversations, Happy pulled her back to whisper in her ear. "Prettiest goddamned thing I've ever seen in my life."

Blushing, Josie dug into her salad with gusto.

O:O:O:O:O:O:O:

Happy rode out with Tig, Chibs, and Jax later that evening, the call coming just after they had finished eating dinner. The Mayans were back to giving the new Indian Hills charter problems at their clubs and in the betting rooms around Vegas. The five men were confident that they would be able to handle the situation, though Happy felt that they would be gone for a few days at least. Josie had swore to take someone with her if she left town to look at things for the house, and Happy had secured a promise to carry a gun with her as well.

Josie was just settling into bed with a slightly trashy romance novel when her cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

Knowing that it could be one of the Sons, Josie set her book aside. "Hello?"

'_Is this Happy's Josie?' _Marisol, Happy's aunt sounded worried.

"_Yes. Is everything okay?"_

Josie listened to the older woman's hurried words before shoving herself out of bed and pulling a simple sundress from the closet. Abelinda was suffering some discomfort and pain from the chemotherapy treatments, and Happy hadn't answered any of his aunt's calls. Telling them that she would be there as soon as she could, Josie disconnected the call and dialed the clubhouse as she shoved her feet into a pair of shoes before packing a duffle with a change of clothes and a few miscellaneous necessities.

"Yeah?" The voice was scratchy, and sounded disgruntled.

Josie cringed as she saw that it was after one in the morning. "Bobby? I'm so sorry for callin' so late."

"What's wrong, Josie girl?" He sounded more alert now.

"Happy's momma is having a bad time of things tonight, and I'm gonna go sit with her." Sighing, Josie decided to make herself a cup of coffee while she explained. It was, after all, a two hour drive. "Only, I promised Happy that I wouldn't leave town without someone with me."

"Well, shit. Okay, okay. Someone will be ready to ride when you get here."

"Should I bring them coffee?" Josie was pouring hers into a travel mug with some sugar and cream.

"No, honey." Bobby chuckled. "They'll be riding a bike."

"Oh, right." Josie yawned and decided she should grab something to snack on while driving. "Sorry."

Hanging up, Josie snagged a bag of popcorn from the pantry and an apple from the basket on the counter before doubling back to the pantry for some things to help upset stomachs. Calling Happy's cell, Josie left a message that let him know what she knew about the situation, and asked him to call when he got a chance. The drive to the clubhouse was strange on the empty streets, and Josie made it there in record time. Pulling onto the lot, she was met by Bobby and Opie, looking a bit disheveled and grumpy at being called out of bed in the middle of the night.

Josie rolled down her window and grinned sheepishly at the pair. "Hi guys. Sorry about this."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Opie grinned and patted her windowsill. "You call Hap?"

"I had to leave a message."

Bobby patted her hand comfortingly as Opie mounted his bike and fastened his helmet. "He's probably dealing with some bullshit. He'll call."

"Thanks again, Bobby." Josie smiled at the fatherly man and pulled out behind her escort.

As they crossed into Bakersfield two hours later, Josie took her last swallow of coffee and tossed the core of her apple out the window. Happy hadn't called, and she was hoping that meant he was just busy on the job and not hurt or running around with some Croweater. She wasn't sure where their current relationship status left him. Making a mental note to have another talk with him soon, she pulled into the driveway belonging to Abelinda's house and waited for Opie to park beside her before she opened her door.

"Doing okay?" Josie hadn't spoken to him since he pulled back beside her at a light and told her to lead the way.

Opie nodded. "I'm good."

Marisol, opened the door before they reached the steps, her pink flowered robe fluttering in the slight breeze. _"You made it! Thank you so much for coming in the middle of the night like this."_

"_Don't worry, ma'am." _Josie smiled and pulled the older woman into a comforting hug. _"How is she?"_

"_She's still sick," _Marisol turned to look at Opie. "Who are you?"

"This is Opie. He volunteered to escort me down so Happy wouldn't worry."

Motioning up the stairs, Marisol directed Josie where to find Abelinda. Turning toward the tall man, she smiled welcomingly. "Our couch should be big enough for you."

"Yeah, that'll work." Opie nodded and followed her into the living room before turning to focus on Josie. "You don't go anywhere without me. That understood?"

"Completely. Now go sleep."

Josie followed the stairs to the second floor and then stepped quickly down the hall to the last door on the left. Abelinda was lying in bed, the windows open to let in the cool night air. Her thinning hair had been pulled back in a low ponytail.

"_Abelinda? Are you awake?" _Josie kept her voice low in case the older woman had managed to find some sleep.

"_Oh, you didn't have to come." _Her voice was thin and watery. _"I will be okay soon."_

"_Of course you will! I'm just here to keep you company for a little while. You know Happy would worry." _At Abelinda's quiet chuckle, Josie set about wetting a cloth in cool water and lining a small pink trashcan with two bags. Placing the can next to the bed and the cloth on Abelinda's forehead, Josie asked her if she felt like nibbling some crackers or sipping some mint tea.

"_Tea would be lovely, I think, though not hot."_

Josie nodded. _"Don't worry, I'll handle it."_

Hurrying down the steps, Josie let Marisol know that she could go to bed and get some rest. Opie was already snoring from his spot on the couch. The kitchen was easy to navigate, and she soon had a cup of hot water brewing three tea bags for a good, strong batch of tea. Her phone began to ring with Happy's personal tone just as she added sugar and a few cubes of ice to a large glass.

"Happy?"

"How's my mom?"

Josie sighed. "She's not feeling very well, but I think it's more or an upset stomach and rattled nerves than anything."

"You sure?" Happy eased down onto his bunk, the bed feeling hard and unwelcoming below him. "Want me to come down there?"

"Not if you have business to handle there still," Josie stirred the brewed tea and ice until it had cooled a bit before adding more ice to the mix. "We'll be okay here."

"We got a few more things to do. Was on a stakeout earlier. That's why I didn't have my cell."

Opie let out a loud snore just as Josie was crossing the living room to turn out the lamp in the corner. Happy's voice was hard when he spoke. "Who was that?"

"Opie." Returning to the kitchen, she finished preparing a small tray with crackers, some toast, and a small bowl of Jell-O. "He rode his bike down as escort."

"Good, good." Happy nodded to himself and eased his boots off before lying down. "You sure you're okay to do this?"

"Happy," Josie's voice had taken on an edge he wasn't used to hearing. "I'm not about to let the mother of the man I love be uncomfortable or ill if I can help it. Your aunt called me for help because she couldn't handle the situation. If this is part of what it means to be with you, then I am ready, willing, and able to do it."

Impressed with Josie's determination and the size of her heart, Happy smiled. "Stubborn bitch."

"Well, I would have to be to deal with being an Old Lady." Josie giggled and looked at her assembled snack tray. "Do you want to talk to your mom? I was just putting together a few things that might help her stomach settle, and it's ready."

"Yeah," Happy sat back up while listening to Josie moving through the house on the other end of the line. When his mother's voice came out of his speaker, he smiled. "Hi ma."

"_Mi hijo_!" Her voice was tired and watery, but bright at the sound of her son. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine ma. You just get better."

"Yes, yes." Abelinda sipped at the straw Josie offered and sighed as the cold liquid soothed her throat and calmed her roiling stomach. "Josie is here and taking good care of me."

"She's good like that." Happy chuckled and wondered how the hell he got so lucky.

Abelinda sighed as she took a second drink of the calming liquid before eyeing the food Josie had chosen. "I think I'll try a cracker. See if it stays down okay."

Handing her a saltine, Josie picked the phone up and sat on the side of the bed. "We're just going to hang out for a little bit until your mom gets tired. Then we'll sleep."

"And tomorrow," Abelinda finished her cracker and reached for the tea on her own this time. "I will feel better when I wake up, and we'll go to some shops."

Happy chuckled. "Ma, you're not well enough for that shit."

"I am well enough if I say I'm well enough. And I want to take Josie around and show off how pretty my son's future wife is."

Josie giggled. "We'll see how you feel when you wake up, okay? How is your stomach?"

"A bit better." Motioning toward the tray, she smiled. "Jell-O?"

Handing the small bowl of wiggling orange gelatin cubes to the older woman, Josie watched to make sure her hands were steady before backing away. "I think she's settling in a bit. They just needed a break from each other."

"That woman can be too much sometimes," Abelinda grumbled between nibbles. "Doesn't know when to leave me alone."

"Well, she is you're sister. I imagine she just wants to make sure you're okay."

Happy crossed his ankles and listened to the two women talk. He could hear the easy affection between them, and was glad they liked each other.

Abelinda finished the Jell-O and gave a yawn. "I'm getting tired now, _mi Corazon_."

"Get some sleep, then. I'll call in the morning."

After the two of them said their goodbyes, Josie told Abelinda to wake her if she needed anything and excused herself. Walking across the hall to Happy's old room, she smiled at the posters still on the walls. Running her eyes over a buxom blond leaning provocatively over the seat of a Harley, Josie smirked.

"I hope you guys don't think I'm going to be dressed like some of the girls you've got hung up on these walls."

Groaning, Happy ran a hand over his face. "Hell no! And take that shit down. Don't want you lookin' at it."

"It's fine, baby." Josie kicked her shoes off and sat on the corner of the well-made bed fully dressed. "Your mom is going to be okay, you know.'

"Yeah," Happy nodded in the darkness of his room. "Need to figure something out there, don't I?"

"Well, I can talk with her tomorrow and see what she wants to do, but she seems like the type to want to stay here for as long as she can."

"She ain't going to some home!"

Josie was shocked at the anger in his voice, but kept herself from snapping in return. "I didn't mean to say that we should put her in one! I was going to suggest she come to Charming, or that we hire someone to come here during the days. It would give your aunt a chance to recharge and give the two of them a break from each other."

"We'll talk about it later," Happy sighed as he listened to Josie settle into bed. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Sug. Just a bit tired."

"Get some sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Okay, okay. I love you, Happy."

They said their goodnights and Josie made sure her door was open before drifting into a light, fitful sleep.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Happy called a little before 11:00 and spoke to Opie briefly before talking to his mom and Josie. There were a few shops that his mother frequented, and she wanted to take Josie around to some of them. He knew there was nothing he could say that would keep his headstrong mother home, and that Josie would follow her wherever she wanted to go, and so he just warned them to be careful and to stay with Opie.

Josie made a light lunch for everyone and sent Marisol out to get her hair cut and styled at her favorite salon on Josie's treat. Things were about to change, if Josie had anything to say about it, and they may as well get used to her pampering them now. Abelinda was feeling better, so they decided to visit a few shops and Josie made an appointment to get their nails done at a local salon. The older woman had never even had a manicure, and Josie wanted to treat her to something luxurious amongst all the bad things she was going through.

Abelinda took great pride in introducing Josie as her soon-to-be daughter in law to all of her friends at the market before they moved on to the salon. Opie trailed along behind the pair, keeping them in sight while trying to find something to occupy his time. He would occasionally chuckle when Josie was introduced, and later told her that the excited Spanish blended together into something that sounded more like singing to him than an actual language.

The ladies went to the salon for their appointments, and Opie took up his post at the front of the shop and began flipping through the magazines left artfully arranged on a table there. The women working in the salon were a bit nonplused at the sight of the huge biker sitting in their waiting room, but were soon drawn in by the lovely young woman treating her fiancee's sick mother to her first manicure ever. Soon, they had talked the older woman into a pedicure that was given free of charge as well as a cut and style to her hair that was, thankfully, still thick despite the chemotherapy.

Opie stood to meet them. "You look amazing, Mrs. Lowman."

"_Gracias, _young man." Abelinda did a little spin so he could compliment her hair, which he did before holding the door for the ladies.

Josie tipped the workers well and thanked them for making their afternoon so pleasant and special. Slipping her address book from her purse, she made a note of the salon's name and the girls who had been so lovely to them over the past two hours. It never hurt to have the name of a decent salon, no matter if it was in your hometown of not. Looking up, she smiled as she caught sight of Abelinda and Opie petting a small puppy on a leash being held by a small girl.

"He is just so cute!" Josie joined the others in gushing over the animal.

"He'll get much bigger as he gets older." The voice belonged to a woman in her mid-thirties who stepped out of the Mexican grocery store behind them, her hand resting lightly on her rounded stomach. "That's a Tibetan mastiff."

"Good watch dogs, though." Opie stepped away from the puppy as the child's mother eyed his cut with shrewd, knowing eyes.

Holding her hand out to the girl, the woman took hers and began leading her away.

"Well, that was rude." Josie frowned at the retreating pair.

Opie shook his head. "Happens sometimes."

Before Josie could respond, a loud popping echoed from down the street. Opie cursed and pulled the two women with him behind the cement wall surrounding a neighboring staircase. Josie could see people running as an old Cadillac rolled down the street, the barrels of automatic machine guns spitting fire and bullets from the open windows. Half a block away, the mother and daughter stood frozen, the puppy's leash wrapped around the girl's legs, and the woman unable to either carry or untangle them.

Josie didn't stop to think, but kicked her short heeled shoes off and sprinted to the pair. Lifting the girl and dog as one, she rushed the mother ahead of them. Jumping behind a dumpster, she cradled the girl to her chest and turned her head to keep her eyes on Opie and Abelinda, still crouched behind the wall. It looked as if the older woman was grasping his arm tightly to hold him in place. When the gunmen lowered their weapons and sped off, she let the woman take her child back and went to meet up with Opie, who was looking murderous.

"What the fuck, Josie?!"

Josie set the girl down and untangled the leash from her legs while the mother cradled her face to her breast and soothed her in quiet Spanish. "They needed help, Opie. Couldn't just leave them out there."

Without speaking, the large man collected his two charges and waited as the mother thanked Josie again. Leading them back to Josie's truck, he followed them on his bike. He slipped his phone from his pocket after parking, and Josie knew he was calling Happy as she accompanied Abelinda inside.

Sending the older woman up the stairs to rest after being assured that the day had not been too stressful, Josie made herself a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table. Opie stepped through the front door and went to watch TV in the living room just as her cell phone rang. Knowing she was about to catch hell, Josie stepped just outside the backdoor before answering.

"Hello?"

"What. The. **Fuck**?" Happy's growl sent a shiver down Josie's spine. "What do you think you were fuckin' doing?!"

"I couldn't just leave a little girl to get hurt, Happy, and Opie was stuck behind both me AND your mom."

Happy paced the small room. He had come back between staking out the Mayans and Church to three messages from Opie. The first two were about him following the women around to stores and a salon. He hadn't been thrilled with Opie's assessments of the day's events, but thought he would just wait to get better details from Josie when they spoke later. The last had been left moments before he stepped through the door and was quite a bit angrier. Happy had heard the words 'drive-by shooting' and 'Josie' before he was dialing his brother's prepay to get the full story.

Now, he rubbed at his face and tried not to yell at his pretty fiancée from hours away. "Those aren't your people, Josie, and Bakersfield isn't our town."

"Innocents are innocents, Happy." Josie sighed and sank down into a lawn chair. "I love you, and I'm sorry that I worried you, but I **will not **apologize for what I did today."

Happy stopped short. No one talked to him that way, but he was somehow unable to be angry at her tone of voice. He realized with a start that he didn't **want** her to back down from him, and even agreed that she shouldn't have just left the mother and daughter to die. His anger was more about the very real possibility that she could have been hurt or killed.

"You could've been hurt, little girl."

Josie softened as his changed tone registered. "I know, baby."

"That's un-fucking-acceptable." Sitting on the edge of his bed, Happy shook his head. "I would fucking lose my mind if something happened to you."

Josie nodded to herself. "I would be lost without you, too, big guy. I promise to try to be more careful from now on."

Happy sighed. He was loath to admit it, but it would have to do, as he could not be with her every moment of her life. "How was the rest of your day?"

Josie crossed her legs and enjoyed the late summer sunshine as she launched into telling him about her day with his mother. Her description of the various friends to whom she had been introduced had him laughing. Happy would chuckle from time to time and supply details about some of his mother's oldest friends. When she began speaking about the salon, Happy was glad to hear that they had been able to have such a calm and happy time together.

"You coming home tonight?" Josie's voice was quiet, lulled by his gravelly voice and the drugging sun.

Happy sniffed absently and began loading magazines and checking his weapons. "Nah. We've got to handle the Mayans tonight. We'll be home in the morning."

"I think your mom is okay now, and Opie needs to be getting back to Charming. We'll stay for dinner and then head out." Sitting up in preparation for heading inside, Josie stilled. "You be careful, okay?"

"I'll be fine. You stay with Ope, and don't pull any more heroics." Happy found himself chuckling. "I can't take that shit."

"Okay, okay. I'm going to stay in this house with your momma and Opie." Josie giggled. "I highly doubt anything more dangerous than your mom's spicy cooking will pop up."

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Five hours later, Josie followed Opie into the crowded SAMCRO lot, glad to be home, and happy to see that the large man seemed to have forgiven her. She was certain Happy's lack of anger with her had a great deal to do with that change of attitude. After all, if her Old Man wasn't screaming for someone's head, Opie wasn't going to waste energy on being angry. She was a bit surprised to see that Happy's bike was sitting in front of the clubhouse along with those belonging to the others who had gone to Indian Hills with him.

"Hi! What's going on?" Josie frowned up at Happy as he came from the clubhouse and wrapped her in his arms before kissing her firmly.

"The Prez of the Nevada Mayans called after we hung up. Apologized for being in our biz and asked for a sit down in a few days." Shrugging, he drew her close. "They can handle that shit."

"Is that normal?"

Shrugging, Happy led her away from the truck. "It happen sometimes, if we've scared them off enough."

The Friday party had begun moments before they arrived, and Josie looked down at her long skirt and simple tank top. "Don't know that I'm dressed for this."

"Hey, Josie," Donna stepped away from where she had given Opie a welcoming hug and kiss. "I've got some clothes for you in Hap's old room. I used your spare key."

"That's cool," Josie kissed Happy one more time before following her into the building.

Two hours later, Happy was ready to drag Josie away from the party and take her home. She had slipped into another halter dress to show off her new ink, the heels Donna had chosen were sky high and black with thin straps around her impossibly small ankles. The heels and skirt drew attention to her long, athletic legs and the perfect slope of her lower back.

"Heading out, brother." Happy barely turned his head from tracking Josie as she moved through the clubhouse with Gemma and Donna.

Tig snickered beside him. "Yeah, I get ya. Have fun."

Josie said her goodbyes once Happy made his wishes known, and she decided to leave her truck at the lot in favor of riding behind him. He let his left hand trail over the soft skin of her calf and thigh with every chance he got, his fingers igniting a line of fire over her sensitive flesh. In return, Josie drew closer to his back and began running her fingers over the hard length of his torso, ghosting over the zipper of his loose jeans.

Pulling into the garage, Happy cut the engine just as Josie moved to stand beside the bike. Scooping her up into his arms, he grinned as she began to nibble and kiss along his neck and shoulder. He was determined to make it to their room before he took her, and so focused on getting through the kitchen and around to the stairs. By the time he carried her through their bedroom door, he had to force himself not to reach under her skirt and rip her panties from her body.

Sitting her down, he untied the straps behind her neck and peeled the cotton away from her rose-tipped breasts. Leaning down, he captured her right nipple with his lips and teeth as he listened to the fabric pool on the ground at their feet. Sliding his arms around her, he slid his hands up her back and luxuriated in the low moan that eased between her lips. Switching to the other nipple, he tugged at her with his teeth as he began rubbing at her moist center through her simple black panties.

Josie threw her head back and groaned as she caressed his bald head with one hand, her other arm doing its best to wrap around his shoulders and draw him closer.

"Happy!" Josie's hips began moving in time with his stroking fingers. A well of pleasure opened beneath her feet and she sagged against him as she spasmed.

Taking her up into his arms once again, Happy laid her carefully out on the bed. He hung his cut in its spot before carelessly removing the rest of his clothing. Watching her blink her eyes and then focus on his movements, Happy clinched his jaw as she began to slowly caress her breasts and run her hands down her abdomen to begin working her panties down her legs.

The intense stare he was giving her and the silent clenching of his jaw had her blooming for him. The feeling of her wet heat opening for the man just out of arm's reach sent her back arching and her legs rubbing together. He stood absolutely still, save for the flexing of his jaw and a rhythmic clenching of his fists, until she kicked her panties completely free and ran her right hand down to her throbbing cleft.

Grasping her right ankle, Happy slid over the footboard to land on his knees. His tongue slid out to taste and caress the smooth skin along her Achilles tendon, drawing another deep moan from her lungs. As he traveled up her leg he kept a firm grip on her ankle, forcing the heel of her shoe into the mattress as he nibbled up her calf. Using the flat of his tongue, he stroked firmly up the inside of her thigh, loving her sighs and whimpers. Repeating the action with the other leg, he was rewarded with a whimpering plea.

"Please, Happy." Josie's voice broke under her begging, but she was too far gone to care.

Happy chuckled and spread her thighs wide. Using his elbows and forearms, he kept her open under his gaze and he lowered his mouth to her sweet spot. Licking from her opening to her clit, he listened as she groaned in reply. Using his tongue to lap at her opening, he chuckled against her when she once again began begging and attempting to writhe against him.

"May as well settle in, little girl." Not withdrawing from the cradle of her thighs, Happy licked and nibbled at her as he spoke. "It's going to be a long night."

Josie sighed and attempted to settle down under him, but his little invasions with his tongue or fingers combined with the nearly constant attention he was giving to her sensitive clitoris made that an impossibility. Soon she was twisting and moaning beneath him, begging for release in earnest, her nipples so tight they were nearly painful and her skin a flushed pink. When he used his wide shoulders to keep her thighs apart and flicked at her clit while sinking two finger deep inside her, Josie came screaming around them. Sliding the condom on as she slowly came back to her senses, Happy began crawling up her body.

Josie watched through blurry vision as Happy's colorful shoulders rolled in leonine grace as he stalked over her body. Fitting himself into the cradle of her thighs, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. Petting at her again, he licked and suckled at her breasts until she sighed and raised one leg to rest over his slim hip. When her other leg wrapped around his lean waist, he allowed himself to slowly sink into her heat.

"Mmmmmmmm . . . Happy." Enjoying the way he felt sliding in and out of her, Josie arched against him and grasped the pillow on either side of her head.

"C'mere," Happy clasped her hands in his own and anchored them to the bed. Twisting his hips, he kept the same pace until she was sighing and begging him to move faster.

As his thrusts sped up, Josie sighed and made sure his ear was close to her mouth. "That's so good, baby. You always feel so good."

Happy brought his head up to stare into Josie's eyes. There was a look there that she didn't recognize at first. There was vulnerability and a fear in the chocolate depths that she had only caught glimpses of in the past. There was something else there, too. Something bright and perfect and filled with such awe that Josie understood perfectly what he was going through.

Pulling him even closer, Josie kept their eyes locked as she began to flutter and pulse around his turgid length. "I love you too, Happy."

His chocked shout was underscored by Josie's soft sigh in the darkness of their room.


	16. Family and New Friends

_**Link to a site containing pics of various outfits and story related visuals on my profile!**_

Josie spent the weekend finding furniture for her living room and dining room, glad that she had already outfitted the family room with a comfortable couch and a large, round cuddling chair. A grandfather clock and flat screen television finished out the family room, separated from the living room by the double-sided fireplace and half wall gates. The living room featured two comfortable couches on either side of a long table in front of the fire. A bookcase took up the wall opposite the hearth and along the side of the stairs. Josie adored the dark wood floors paired with the lighter throw rugs and furniture, and Happy was glad to finally have somewhere to watch his cartoons.

The kitchen had been half filled with dishes that Josie had already owned, and yard sale finds along with those purchased at antique shops filled it in wonderfully. Tea and coffee cups hung from hooks under the bottom shelf. Tea pots and saucers were stacked and neatly organized on a short section of shelves above a beautiful a vintage cherry pie safe close to the breakfast nook. Tins of loose leaf tea were nestled artfully around the china. Josie loved the mismatched, artfully shabby look.

Happy had only asked if she was going to be able to cook in the kitchen, and nodded when she said she wanted to bake more often. He really didn't care how things looked as long as he got to eat, watch TV, and get inside her as much as possible. If she was content, then he was as well. As far as he was concerned, Happy could live in the clubhouse for the rest of his life. Making a house into a comfortable home was what Josie desired, however, and he had no qualms with helping her move or build anything.

What Josie wanted, Josie would get.

The entirety of SAMCRO found itself in their backyard just after lunch on Saturday, pouring a foundation that would soon be covered by a pole barn garage to serve as Josie's gym. After they were finished pouring, Josie supplied them with a late lunch and then showed them where she wanted the wooden bottom of a garden shed to be laid out in the far left corner of the formal back yard before moving on to fill the pool she had cleaned over the past week. By the time the men were finished with the shed, the foundation was nearly dry.

Sunday, Josie returned from church to see that the whole group was back to put up the garage walls and roof. Gemma had brought donuts for everyone, and was sipping coffee on the back porch while she watched the men work. Donna and the kids had accompanied Josie to church, a feat made easier with the promise that they would be the first to swim in the large cement pool that took up residency in the side yard beyond the family room.

After being told that the men would take any offer of help as an insult, Josie waved Donna to follow Kenny and Ellie to the water while she and Gemma set about preparing lunch. Knowing the men would require a lot of food after the work they were putting in, they put together huge homemade pizzas. Planning on a cookout later, they decided the melted cheese and meat would tide them all over well. The doors and windows were all open to the steady breeze, and the shouts of the children playing mixed with the sounds of the men working to pull smiles from the women as they worked.

"So, have you thought about kids yet?" Gemma stood back as Josie slid a third pizza into the large oven.

Josie grinned as she set the smaller oven to preheat, deciding they could fit one more in there. "We haven't talked about it, yet. Just hasn't come up."

"What hasn't come up?" Happy nodded at Gemma when she excused herself from the room to take a cooler of beer out to the others. "You okay, girl?"

"I'm fine." Josie spread the dough over the round pan in preparation for sauce and toppings. "Gemma has just been asking if we're planning on having kids. I think she's trying to breed the next generation of Sons already."

Happy raised his eyebrows, surprised that they hadn't covered the topic yet. "You want kids?"

"I always thought I'd be a decent mom."

Snorting, he looped his arms around her waist. "You'll make a great ma."

She didn't miss his wording. "Yeah?"

"Course," Happy kissed her softly before drawing away and slapping her lightly on the rear. "What Josie wants, Josie sure as hell gets."

Giggling, she nodded before sobering. "Does that include you not getting anywhere close to anymore skanks?"

"Babe, I haven't had a Croweater so much as blow me since you."

Smirking, she winked just as Gemma walked through the Dutch door leading from the breakfast nook to the porch and patio beyond. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

"Deal," Happy sipped his beer while he watched the two women load the last pizza with cheese, meat, and what looked like the entire vegetable drawer. "This mean I don't have to wrap up anymore?"

"Let's wait 'til after the wedding for that one."

"And when **is **the wedding going to be?" Gemma looked between the two of them.

Happy shrugged. "Could be tomorrow for all I give a shit. You tell me when and where, and I'll be there."

Laughing, Josie pelted him with a piece of mushroom before turning to slide the pie into the oven. "I was thinking that a late fall wedding would be nice, since it's not like we have to worry about snow."

"So. . . November, then?"

"Why not?" Josie shrugged. "A week or two before Thanksgiving?"

"We could do it outside, then." Gemma nodded. "It wouldn't be too hot."

Happy went to find a beer and check on the others' progress. He didn't need to be around for any of the wedding planning. He had meant what he said. As long as Josie was there, then he was fine.

By the time Josie and Gemma called everyone to eat, the men had two walls erected and a third ready to lift. The kids hadn't wanted to come out of the pool, but brightened at the sight of so much pizza and some cold drinks. Donna made sure they were eating before taking a few slices for herself. Gemma and Josie loaded their plates with salad, taking a piece of pepperoni each. The men all welcomed the chance to cool off in the shade and have a nice lunch before getting back to work.

"Thanks for helping with this, everyone." Josie smiled at the others lounging around the covered porch and open patio.

"No problem, Pussycat." Tig grinned playfully from his spot leaning against the wide railing, his plate and cup resting easily on the slat of wood. "We all heard you had a pool."

"And you're welcome to go for a swim," Josie giggled as the men all cheered. "Just as long as private bits stay covered."

Tig whined low in his throat. "But naked swims are the best swims!"

"Well, there are other men's Old Ladies present as well as your brother's eleven year old daughter." Josie shrugged. "Take it up with them."

"Don't even **think **about it." Opie growled around his mouthful of cheese and mushroom.

Gemma ran out to get some trunks for the men while they finished their work, and Josie cleaned up the kitchen before running up the stairs to put on her own suit. Deciding that flashing massive amounts of skin in front of the whole club wasn't a good idea, she went for a simple green one piece. It featured a halter top and a front that looked like a very short dress. It reminded her of a bathing suit Marilyn Monroe once wore in a photograph. Twisting her hair into buns at the crown of her head and again at the base, she pulled her sunhat on and slipped her feet into a pair of wedge sandals.

She stepped out onto the porch and placed an armful of towels on the table while she watched the men position the last wall of her workout room. Happy's dusky skin shone in the sun, the sweat glistening over his tattoos invitingly. Jax and Opie had shed their shirts and cuts as well, their paler chest catching the light and their backs flexing under the weight of their labor. Donna had brought the kids over to reapply sunscreen, and stopped to appreciate the view with her new friend.

"Sometimes, being an Old Lady has its perks." Giggling, Donna held Kenny still with one arm and spread the white lotion into his skin with the other.

Looking the other woman's shorts and t-shirt over, Josie frowned. "Where's your suit?"

"Under my clothes," Donna was avoiding her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're hiding?!"

"Well, maybe a little." Shrugging, she pushed Kenny away and motioned Ellie closer.

"Why?" Josie thought the other woman was far too cute to be hiding behind deep blue cotton. "Has Opie..?"

Donna shook her head and blushed slightly. "He says he thinks I'm pretty."

"Daddy says mom's the most beautiful woman alive." Ellie grinned as she told on her parents.

"See?" Josie motioned to the girl with a smile. "Out of the mouths of babes."

"So?"

"Soooooooooo," Josie jerked at the hem of Donna's shirt. "Get this crap off, get some lotion on, and get your cute little butt in the pool."

"Yeah!" Kenny bounced in place. "C'mon, mom!"

Ellie joined her brother's pleading. "Pleeeeease?"

Sighing, Donna began shrugging out of her shirt and shorts. She slowly revealed a black one piece that dipped low in the front, showcasing her delicate collarbones and shoulders. The bottom was formed into a cheerleader style skirt, disguising her thighs and making her torso seem longer. Josie whistled softly and flashed a wink when she looked up from folding her clothes nervously.

Sending the kids back to the water, Josie held up the sunblock with a grin. "Let's give them a bit of a show, shall we?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "No one's even looking at us."

Snorting, Josie turned the brunette so she could reach her back. "Give it a minute."

Squeezing a dollop into her hand, Josie rubbed her palms together and began spreading the milky substance along Donna's back and shoulders.

Twenty feet away, Tig swung around with a 2x4 to brace a wall and stopped short. Jax turned, hand out for the wood, and then spun to follow Tig's line of sight. Happy and Opie saw them staring and turned puzzled eyes toward the house. Slowly, the others began to follow suit.

Josie had finished with Donna and now let her head fall forward as Donna smoothed sunblock on her back and shoulders in return. She twisted her head from side to side as the other woman worked the protectant in. Done with Josie's shoulders, Donna continued down her arms until the two of them were pressed closely together. Turning, Josie smiled and thanked her before grabbing their towels and heading to the pool, waving to the men as she went. Donna followed along behind the redhead, waving happily to Opie.

Stepping up beside Opie, watching the two women giggle and talk to each other while pointing at different spots in the yard, Happy grinned. "We are the luckiest sons of bitches on this planet."

Opie looked as if he had seen a very good looking ghost. Nodding slowly, he blinked. "Yeah, we are."

The men finished with their project shortly after Gemma returned with suits for them all, and the rest of the day was full of laughter and playing in the pool. Josie eventually excused herself to ready dinner, and Happy volunteered to grill the steaks and chicken in order to test out their new bar-b-qu. The men splashed and dunked each other to the amusement of the women and kids, behaving as if they were still teenagers until Happy had to fire up the grill.

Clay asked Happy to come back to the clubhouse to look over a few things. While he didn't say anything in detail, Josie knew they were going to look at the guns they were planning on taking up to the One-Niners. Happy simply nodded, told her he'd be back, and rode out with the rest of the club. Donna and Gemma stayed to help clean up before packing the kids into Donna's station wagon and leaving for home.

Josie cleaned up tools and trash from around her new out building by the light of the outdoor lanterns. The warm night air blew along the skin left exposed by her bathing suit and fluttered the sarong she had tied around her waist. It was humid, and would have been uncomfortable if not for the breeze. Having closed up the house and turned on the air conditioning, she knew it would take at least an hour for the house to cool down, and she wasn't willing to sit in there while she waited.

Something Tig had said earlier echoed through her mind, and Josie bit her lip as she followed the stone path around the house to the pool. There was no one around, and the high fence would hide her from any car that happened along the sparsely populated country road. And what was the point, really, of owning your own pool if you didn't swim in it any way you wanted?

Untying her sarong, Josie watched it flutter to the ground before wriggling out of her bathing suit. Placing both by the steps leading down into the shallow end, she dropped her towel next to them and sank into the cool, clear water. The light from the painted outdoor lanterns on the porch along with the few lights inside the pool's sides lit the area enough for her to see, and she made several laps before turning over on her back and gaze up at the stars. She floated there, completely peaceful, listening to the sounds of the night coming alive around her until Happy roared up the driveway and into the garage.

Happy walked through the mud and laundry room that separated the garage from the breakfast nook, setting his helmet and glasses on the shelf as he passed. "Josie?"

When no one answered his call, he shrugged and moved to the backdoor. He could see that some of the earlier mess had been collected, and so stepped out onto the patio.

"You out here little girl?"

Smiling, Josie continued to float. "In the pool, baby!"

Scoffing at her insistence on using pet names, he followed the stone walkway until Josie's lithe body came into view. The water caught the feeble light, reflecting and bouncing off her white skin. Her breasts were clearly tipped with tightly budded nipples, framed by the lapping liquid. The dusky 'v' between her long legs was made darker by the water and the night shadows.

"Damn, girl." He let his eyes linger over her body, loving that she wasn't cowering or shy with him at all.

"Come here," Josie crooked her finger and smiled up at him. Backlit by the houselights, he looked dangerous and wild and oh, so perfect.

Shaking his head, he tracked her as she righted herself and began doing lazy laps around the pool. "Why don't you just come out here?"

"Because I want to feel you against me in the water." Glad that the night swallowed her blush, she fought to maintain her calm façade as she learned how to talk boldly to him without being caught up in sexual pleasure.

Seeing the appeal in her idea, he shucked out of his clothes hastily, only laying his cut over the small patio table that sat nearby. "Water good?"

"Mmmmmm," Josie hummed. "It's wonderful."

Gliding through the water toward the redhead, Happy grinned in anticipation. Just before he reached her, she plunged herself under the water and away from his outstretched hand. Twisting under the surface, she shot toward the shallow end. Coming up for air, she shrieked as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and she was hurled into the deep end. She landed hard, her sense of direction momentarily ruined until Happy's lips collided with hers under the water.

Bobbing to the surface and treading water easily, he enjoyed the slip and slide of Josie's wet skin against his own. When he eased her back against the side of the pool, using the small lip there to brace his toes, Josie sighed and twined her arms around his neck. She enjoyed trailing her fingers over his shoulders and the snake on his head. Happy traced a bead of water along her collarbone and enjoyed the feel of her hands ghosting over his nearly hairless scalp.

Josie moaned low in her throat and giggled as she slid her legs up along his thighs while Happy eased himself up inside her. The warm water lapped at their shoulders and around their chests as they moved slowly against each other. When Josie tensed and moaned his name, falling apart around him, Happy followed soon after.

Chuckling, the two dried themselves on the towel Josie had thought to bring out and walked, arm in arm, back to the house.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

The next week was full of Josie posing for calendar pictures around the garage in the afternoon and evening sun. It turned out, once word got around to the residents of Charming, that many of the locals were interested in seeing their cars in a calendar featuring a pretty young girl. She wore the dress from her engagement announcement as she sat on the hood of her truck, looking sultry as she applied screaming red lipstick. A pair of twin brothers brought in their 1934 Ford V8 coups, and she stood between them wearing a period dress, a cloche hat, and brandishing a Tommy gun. Someone brought in a brand new Porsche Boxster, and Josie responded by slipping into a pair of cutoff shorts and a bikini top to be the perfect California girl. There were picnics in pickups, shots of Josie holding a '_Teller-Morrow or Bust_' sign beside a broken down car, and an entire series on the tow truck. The photographer had surprised everyone by being both professional and creative, expressing his desire to be more than someone who shoots porn, and so had veered away from anything overtly slutty in favor of sultry or innocently sexy.

Clay, Chibs, Happy, and Tig all watched closely as Josie went from bike to bike on the lot. She wore her vest like a shirt, the leather showcasing her breasts without revealing too much flesh, her jeans molded perfectly to her curves. While Gemma and Clay wanted to keep the Sons publicly separate from the garage, the front of Josie's leather was free of any identifying decoration. Happy had smirked at the sheer number of times his crow had been photographed screaming out from among the peach blossoms on her skin.

The photographer stopped to change lenses and recheck some of his work while Josie drank some water. "I would **love **to do something with some of those beater cars beside the garage and an evening gown."

"Why don't we?"

The men all frowned at her, but it was Clay who spoke. "Where are you going to get an evening gown of all things? Not a lot of high-end frou frou around here."

"Couldn't I just use something from my closet?" Shrugging at their incredulous stares, Josie smiled. "My parents used to have evening wine tastings and weddings at the vineyard. I had to blend."

Hurrying to the house, Josie selected a strapless dress from the back of her closet. The sheer black lace was delicate and feminine over the champagne silk. Fitting snug from bust to knee, it flared to the floor. While it hindered her ability to walk, it was stunning and one of her favorite dresses. She could remember many formal weddings or wine tastings for affluent businessmen or politicians where she had received a hundred compliments on the way she looked in the beautiful gown. Her makeup was still immaculate, and she wore five inch spike heels with peep toes, everything but the sole and heel constructed of black lace.

Gemma had gone with her, whistling softly as she gave a turn. "That shit is **dangerous**, girl."

Snorting, Josie shook her head. "Not like I get a chance to wear something like this too often. Should probably just get rid of the stuff like this."

"Don't you dare! Happy is going to lose his shit when he sees you in this thing."

Laughing, Josie had slipped a sheer wrap around her shoulders and followed the older woman back to her car.

Happy couldn't stop the sly smile that slithered across his lips when Josie slowly stood from the low seat of Gemma's convertible. Tig whistled softly and nudged his friend's shoulder, obviously enjoying what he was seeing. Clay and Chibs both chuckled as Half-Sack tried to watch her every move without being leery or disrespectful of a patched member's Old Lady. All movement in the garage ground to a halt as the men all came to watch Josie glide across the lot in the impossibly tight dress.

"Simply stunning, my dear." Clay nodded to the younger woman before he welcomed Gemma back with a kiss.

Happy pulled her close, enjoying the way the heels made it easier to kiss her hello. "Damn, girl."

"It's not too much?"

Happy's response was interrupted by the sudden roar of twenty Harleys pulling onto the lot. Pushing her behind the wall of his body, he had time to see Clay doing the same to Gemma before Alvarez, the Mayan president, dismounted and slowly removed his helmet. The other Mayans followed his example, and all the rival bikers slowly raised their hands in a show of being unarmed.

"What the hell are you doing here, Alvarez?" Clay growled and shifted uneasily.

The handsome Hispanic man smiled slightly. "I needed to meet with you, and to see something for my own eyes."

"Should've called. We would've made a meeting."

"But I required a meeting with the bearded giant, not you."

Opie and Jax moved from the garage, spanners and tire irons held threateningly in their hands. "What do we need to meet about?"

"You were in Bakersfield a week ago?"

Clay nodded and answered for him. "Yeah, he was there. What of it? Bakersfield is neutral ground."

"And your Old Lady was with you?"

"No, not mine." Opie shrugged. "I was escorting a brother's girl while he was out of town."

Clay shifted impatiently. They had all been made aware of the events of that afternoon. "What's this about, Alvarez?"

"It is about peace, and about repaying a debt." Motioning behind him, Alvarez focused on the men in front of him. "May I bring my wife onto the lot? She is pregnant."

Nodding, Clay motioned for those who had drawn weapons to lower them. "We won't harm an innocent."

"She would not be here if I thought she would be hurt."

When the dented grey van lumbered onto the lot and parked, two Mayans helped the small Mexican woman down from the passenger seat. Josie had peaked around Happy's shoulder, and he had pulled her around to his side. They both knew it was she whom the Mayans were looking for, and both were curious as to the reason why. Recognizing each other simultaneously, Josie and the pregnant woman both smiled.

"Hello."

"That's her!" The older woman smiled up at her husband and was tugged back when she tried to step closer.

Seeing the interaction, Josie eased away from Happy's protective hold. Keeping her hand firmly within his, she smiled softly. "How is your little one?"

"She is good, thanks to you." Slowly easing forward, she was flanked by Alvarez and his son the entire way until she could reach forward and offer an awkward hug. "My name is Maria-Teresa."

"Josephine, but you can call me Josie."

The other club's president scoffed in disbelief. "You are the enforcer's Old Lady?"

"Yes." Josie felt herself bristling at the doubt in the man's voice. "Is there a problem with that?"

Chuckling, Alvarez shook his head. "No, none at all."

Clay looked between the women as Gemma eased around his side. "Is this about the drive by?"

"Yes." Alvarez nodded. "The girl saved the lives of my wife, daughter, and unborn son. We offer peace to the Sons of Anarchy and a gift to the girl in return."

"I didn't do it for a reward." Josie had always been uncomfortable with the idea of being paid for something she had done simply because it was the right thing to do.

Alvarez chuckled. "And that is why you deserve one."

At a soft command from their president, the two who had helped the pregnant woman from the van slid the side door open. Retrieving a large carrier from inside, they sat the beige container on the ground and opened it. Using a leash, they walked an impossibly fluffy puppy to the front of the small crowd, where Maria-Teresa took it and led the trotting animal forward.

Josie took one look at his copious black fur, interrupted and accented by brown at the lower legs and paws, and fell in love. Now confident that the Mayans would not do anything to bring harm to their own woman, Happy let go of Josie's arm. As soon as she was free, she crouched down to pet the fluffy baby dog.

"He's beautiful!"

Easing down next to her, Maria-Teresa smiled. "He will get very big, and protect you well."

The two women chatted amicably until their legs became tired of the odd angle. Helping the older woman to her full height, Josie led her and the puppy over to the tables while the men discussed their peace. Gemma brought bottles of water over and smiled indulgently at the picture Josie made dressed in such a spectacular gown and playing with the big ball of fur.

Setting the water on the table, Gemma indicated the puppy with her chin. "What are you going to name it?"

Gripping it under the front legs, Josie confirmed that he was a he before snuggling him close to her chest. "I'm not sure. It's been so long since I've had a dog!"

Maria-Teresa laughed merrily. "I'm glad you like him. We spent a week making sure he had the best personality out of the litter."

Josie giggled as she was showered with little puppy licks. "He certainly is loving and playful."

"Oh yes, very. Tibetan Mastiffs are great family and guard dogs if they are trained."

Nodding, Josie decided that she would have him trained as well as possible, even if that meant hiring someone to do so.

The three women took turns playing with the puppy until the men had finished their discussion, each of them ignoring that Half-Sack and Juice had taken up posts beside the table with two Mayans assuming identical positions on the other end. Exchanging phone numbers with the pretty Mexican woman, Josie and Gemma waved goodbye as the van pulled off the lot. Happy and the others made their way to where Josie was busy giggling and being licked from chin to forehead. The photographer had taken up his post, snapping pictures of Josie in her lace evening gown and the adorable puppy that was obviously in love with her.

"Got a name yet?"

Josie shook her head and grinned up at her fiancé. "Not yet. I want to get to know him a bit first."

Donna and the kids arrived just in time to kidnap the puppy for some play time, and Happy wrapped his arm around Josie's waist. Pulling her close, he leaned down to kiss her deeply. She was so stunning in that dress that he had nearly been distracted from the discussion going on between the club officers and the Mayans.

"Clay and the others are going to hold a vote tonight."

Josie raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I've put in for a permanent transfer to Charming."

"Well, you're here most of the time anyway." Running her fingers over the leather of his cut, she smiled up into his smiling eyes. "Glad I'm not decorating the house for no reason, though."

"Might not be voted in. It has to be unanimous."

"Please, these guys love you and would be glad to have you around."

Nodding, he jerked his thumb at the puppy happily yipping and bouncing between the delighted kids. "You gonna be okay with that monster? I have to head out for a few days. Clay wants some of the charters to have backup when dealing with the Mayans in their territory."

"Don't trust them, huh?"

"Hell no." Smirking, he kissed her softly. "Have to see how they work out."

"You leaving tonight?"

Happy shook his head. "Now."

"Glad I dressed for the occasion." Josie rolled her eyes and leaned up to kiss him goodbye. "You be careful out there, big guy."

"I'll be fine." Curling his hand around the swell of her bottom, he molded her against him. "You take care of yourself."

"I won't leave town without one of the guys, and I promise not to do anything crazy around the house. Plan to get some flowers and things planted in the garden, and I would like to get the gym set up sooner rather than later."

"Just don't do anything too crazy."

Josie giggled. "You got it, boss."

"Like the sound of that." Happy growled in pleasure as Josie licked at his ear. "You need to stop, or that dress ain't making it home."

"Because I really care about that."

Snorting, he kissed her goodbye gruffly before pulling away. "Not sure when we'll be back."

"We'll?"

Tilting his head toward Chibs and Jax, he grinned. "Got those two for company."

Comforted by the idea that Happy would have company, and that they were traveling in a more peaceful atmosphere, Josie nodded. "Well, I'll keep busy at the house or around here with Gemma. Don't worry about me."

"I don't worry about you. Worry about other people fuckin' with you. There's a difference."

Josie wasn't so sure about that, but kept it to herself as she wished the three men a safe trip and leaned across Happy's bike to kiss him goodbye once again. Looping his arm around her, he pulled her until she was draped across his lap, her knees resting over his left thigh. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. Oh, how she loved kissing that man.


	17. Yes to The Dress?

Happy, Jax, and Chibs were gone for two weeks. Josie spent most of that time training the puppy, which she had named Beast, and planting herb and vegetable gardens as well as various flowers and roses, which Gemma was happy to help with. She would text Happy throughout the day to let him know what was going on at home, and he would call late at night when whatever charter they were visiting was settling in. Josie had convinced him to splurge on a phone that allowed them to video chat when she told him that she wanted to see him while they had phone sex. And as he was calling her every night, she chose to believe that he was holding true to his promise of avoiding other women.

Beast was both a welcome companion and an interesting set of problems. One ruined screen door was all it took for Josie to install a well-constructed swinging doggy door leading to the back yard. After speaking with a few breeders (and assuring them that she would be okay with such a large breed), the decorative fence that had spanned the front yard was replaced with one made of sturdy wood that now circled the entire three acre property. It lined the driveway on either side, ending at the side of the house on one side and at the garage on the other. A gate allowed visitors to come up the front walk, and Juice had installed a doorbell there so the dog would not be tempted to bite an unsuspecting and innocent person.

Josie had begun taking the growing puppy on runs around the inside of the fence line for a few miles at a time, and she was confident that he would build up to longer distances as he grew older. For now, they jogged every morning together, played fetch in the evenings, and went with Tig to different doggy socialization outings organized by different breeders in Stockton or Bakersfield. Tig loved running around with the different dogs, bringing special treats and toys for Beast and whichever animals drew close enough to sniff them out in his pocket.

Josie's period showed up at the end of the first week, and she spent the first part of the day curled up on the couch watching gardening and cooking shows. It was one of the rare times that cramps got the better of her, and she was glad no one was around to watch her hobble to the kitchen for snacks. Beast allowed her to throw balls for him to chase instead of going on their usual run, however, and she decided that he must be the world's most perfect puppy.

Gemma called that afternoon, wondering where she was and why she hadn't come by the garage that afternoon. When she learned the reason why, the older woman told Clay she wouldn't be at the regular Friday party and called Donna. The two women showed up with Ellie and Kenny in tow, bringing pizza and ice cream as well. Sending the kids to play in the pool, the women made themselves comfortable on the patio with food, drinks, and an armful of bridal magazines.

"So, how many people are we looking at inviting?" Josie took a bite and sucked in some air to try and cool the molten cheese now resting between her teeth.

"Umm… It's your wedding, darlin'." Gemma chuckled and started in on her own food.

"I know that, but I wasn't sure how many of Hap's brothers would be coming."

Donna watched as Beast ran around the pool, sniffing at the water and barking playfully at the kids. "When Ope and I got married, there were guys from Tacoma and a few that he knew from Fresno there."

Josie shrugged. "Well, Happy was a Nomad for a while, and it's not like he didn't travel from charter to charter before that, right? So he knows a lot more people."

Gemma chuckled. "You're right. The guys from SAMTAC will absolutely want to be here. Indian Hills, Fresno, and Arizona would probably like to as well."

"So, should I send out invitations? Is this the sort of thing that you or Clay should handle?" Shaking her head, Josie giggled. "I don't want to leave anyone out or insult anyone, but I don't know the etiquette here."

"Well, I think the charters would get a kick out of getting honest to God invitations. Maybe make some up, and make sure 'non-mandatory' is on them. That way, they can decide for themselves."

Josie grinned. "I could do black cards with lighter ink for the words.

"The Reaper should be on there somewhere." Donna smirked. "You need to get used to it being on everything."

Gemma chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."

Josie jotted down a note in her brand new spiral notebook. "So, I think I want to do this on November 6th. The weekend before is Halloween, and there's time between the wedding and Thanksgiving if we get married then."

"There will be a few hundred people there, I'm sure." Gemma began making a list of local venues large enough to house a crowd.

"That many?"

"Happy's a popular man."

Donna looked away from where she had been glaring some sort of mom message to Kenny. "What about your family? How many people are we looking at coming in from Georgia?"

"Chris, the youngest of my older brothers, may come with his wife. The people I used to work with at Sally's. Some of my Crossfit family, maybe."

"That's it?" Gemma frowned. "I thought you'd have friends all over the damn place."

Josie smiled wistfully. "I find the number of my friends has shrunk since moving to Charming."

"Since hooking up with biker trash, right?"

"Yeah." Josie giggled. "Chris and his wife have always been cool with me being different from the rest of the family, though, and will probably just ask if Happy will treat me well."

Donna giggled. "At least one of them will be decent about everything."

"Alright, enough of this shit!" Gemma opened a beer and toasted the others. "We've got good food, good beer, and an evening to ourselves with the kids. Let's get to work on what's really important: The **dress**."

"I have an Irish lace veil that has been passed down, and I want something I can wear and still ride behind Happy."

An hour later, every magazine had been combed through for ideas. Josie, like all good southern brides, was determined to wear white, and the others quickly agreed. A few different styles had been pinpointed, and Gemma suggested they go shopping on Sunday morning. Josie knew that her discomfort would be minimized by the end of the next day, and so agreed. When she called Tig after the women had left, he gladly agreed to come over to take care of Beast for her while she was out.

The usual phone call to Happy was cut short that night, as he was going to leave the Sons of Anarchy Moab charter for the clubhouse in North Vegas early the next morning. His gruff, confident voice assured her that the seven hour drive would be an easy afternoon for the three riders, though she would continue to worry about him until he was home. They was spend a few days in North Vegas and then head up to Indian Hills before coming back to Charming.

Josie listened as he relayed news of positive outcomes and peaceful meetings between the various Sons chapters and the Mayans. When word got around that the woman who had saved the life of the Mayan National President's wife was to be married to Happy, the Sons enforcer and assassin, the level of respect shown to the tattooed man skyrocketed. Many of the men they were now meeting with had congratulated him on finding such a woman. Many of the Sons had asked after a date for when the marriage was to take place.

"November 6th," Josie smiled into the phone's video screen. "Gemma is looking for places big enough to handle all your brothers."

Happy nodded, wondering if her were about to open a can of worms. "You inviting anyone?"

"Everyone from Sally's, and some of the people from Crossfit." Josie smiled softly. "I'm thinking of asking my brother Chris if he can do the walk down the aisle with me."

"He the good one?"

"Yeah, he and his wife Anna Kate have always been great." Making a face, she continued. "Douglas and Trevor won't be as nice, and their wives are horridly tacky things."

"Don't invite them, then." He didn't see why that was such a difficult decision to make. If someone was going to use the day to be an asshole, he didn't want them around.

"Wasn't planning on it, really. Just sort of sucks that they can't be more brotherly." Shrugging, she went on to change the subject. "Going to be looking for dresses with Gemma and Donna Sunday morning."

Happy chuckled before leveling a glare at her through the video feed. "Someone going with you?"

"We're probably going to be in town most of the morning, but Opie, Bobby, and Half-Sack will ride with us if we decide to go elsewhere."

"Is this thing going to be huge?"

Snorting a laugh, she shook her head. "Just so you know, there would only be about ten people there if it weren't for your brothers. But, no, it's not going to be drawn out and elaborate. Some flowers, maybe an arch. Mostly, it's going to be a few words and a lot of bikes."

Happy's laugh drew a giggle from Josie as she locked up for the night. Beast heaved himself up the steps behind her, stretching out on the rug in front of the bay windows across from the big bed. She knew he had been serious about not caring how they got married, just that she was there to say her vows, but it was nice to know that he wasn't going to hate the whole ordeal. The promise of alcohol and communion with his club family probably served to help his attitude quite a bit. Saying their goodnights, the two separated lovers attempted to find comfort in beds left cold in the absence of their other half.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Sunday morning promised to dawn bright and clear, the sky already a crystalline blue that Josie knew would remain free of any troublesome clouds. The air was warm, a breeze tickling her hair as she led Beast out the front door. She allowed him to run and play as she swept the porch and did some weeding around the new gardens and raised beds of flowers. Thanks to the warm, sunny weather and her diligent watering, the herbs and vegetables were growing well and the roses all had new redish tips.

The sun was peeking over the distant hills as she finished her chores and returned to the house to take a shower. Gemma had mentioned going out for breakfast, and Josie had a feeling that she was about to go shopping with a professional. Donna had managed to talk Opie into watching the kids so that she could come along for the morning adventures. If they went out of town, Gemma was sure that Piney would watch the youngest Winstons so that Opie could do escort duty.

A thrill went through her as she thought about looking at wedding dresses, and she bounced slightly on her toes as she let her hair dry and looked through her closet. She needed something that wouldn't be difficult to slide in and out of, would allow her to wear the sorts of undergarments that she would have on at the wedding, and would look okay with heels. No point in trying on something while wearing the wrong shoes. Deciding on a white sleeveless dress with sprays of blue flowers that slowly became larger until vines of blue morning glories climbed up from the knee-length hem, Josie slipped into a matching bra and panty set and sat down to apply makeup and braid her hair.

It had taken years to learn how to braid her own hair, but Josie had eventually become a master at it. Deciding that she didn't want all that extra weight and insulation piled on top of her head, she made a low ponytail instead. Flipping the hair up, she pulled it down through the base, making a simple twist. Forming the tail into five small braids, she rolled and pinned them around each other into a low bun.

A pair of heels completed the outfit, and she transferred all her needed things into a brown leather shoulder bag before picking up the antique veil in its special box and taking Beast out one last time. She wasn't about to leave him in the house to ransack the place while she was gone. A large crate had been set up in the still empty bedroom with water and toys to keep him busy until Tig could come by later.

Meeting Gemma and Donna at the local diner, she smiled as she joined them. "So, where do we start?"

"I thought we would go to Anna's Bridal here in town first. That's really the only place here worth looking at." Gemma sipped her coffee and waved the waitress over so they could place their food orders. "If you don't see anything there, we'll just have to drive into San Francisco for the afternoon."

After the waitress left the table, Josie folded her hands in her lap and looked at her companions. "So, what colors do you ladies want?"

"For what?" Donna frowned as she watched Josie adding packet after packet of sugar to her iced tea.

"For your bridesmaid dresses, of course."

Donna squealed that jumped up to wrap her arms around Josie's shoulders. "Really? I've never been a bridesmaid before!"

"Well, who else would I ask?"

Gemma gave a pleased smirk and a chuckle from across the table. "I'm too damn old to be a bridesmaid."

"Then be my badass bitch in charge of keeping things in line!" Josie giggled. "Do you really need a special title to get a new dress and walk down an aisle with me?"

Shrugging, Gemma grinned. "I think I look good in red."

This sent the others into peals of laughter, drawing smiles and chuckles from the few other customers in the diner. Josie told the women that they were going to be in something comfortable, and not satin or itchy netting. Her private goal was to find something they liked, looked good in, and actually **would **wear again. Gemma's style tended to run toward a restrained boho vibe with biker chic on the side, so she wouldn't be too hard to please. Getting Donna into something not three sizes too big or downright matronly was going to be a bit more difficult.

Anna's Bridal was a bust, and they were on the road to San Francisco by ten, flanked by Bobby and Half-Sack. Opie had baulked at the idea of watching three giggling women going through a bridal shop, and the kids had asked to be allowed to spend the day with him. Seeing the soft look on Donna's face, Josie had suggested that they go to her house for a swim, as Tig was going to be over playing with Beast anyway. This was quickly agreed to, and Bobby had pointed the prospect to one of the club's bikes. Clay wanted a dignified escort for his wife and the other women, not some kid on a glorified scooter.

It took an hour and a half to reach San Francisco, and the women spent the time laughing and comparing their men and relationships. Josie and Donna listened as Gemma tried to give them advice on dealing with a man who regularly broke the law, though Donna occasionally interjected comments on the club being the reason behind their criminality. Josie had no illusions about her fiancée. Happy would never live completely on the right side of the law; the Sons simply gave him a family to fight and kill for. If it weren't for the MC, he would have fallen in with a street gang or been dead years ago. The club kept him in line by giving him a new line to follow.

The women had gone through two stores with absolutely no success for Josie, though they had managed to find something for both Gemma and Donna. With no alterations needed, the dresses had been purchased 'as is' and were now secured in the back of Gemma's Cadillac. Josie was beginning to think that she wouldn't be able to find a dress to her liking, as all the boutiques seemed to be geared toward sophisticates staging multi-million dollar ceremonies. Disheartened, she asked Gemma if they could stop by a quilting shop they had passed.

The shop was small, though well-kept in the messy, comfortable way that only a fabric or yarn store can be. It was stocked with enough material to keep her busy for a very long time. A younger woman was occupied with straightening shelves and dusting the tops of cases while an older lady smiled from her place behind the counter. Many books and flyers were arranged on a stand beside the register, and Josie wondered over to look at them after smiling at the others.

"Hello!" The older woman's voice reminded Josie of Joan Biaz. "Is there anything particular you're looking for today?"

"Hello," Josie smiled politely. "I've actually just moved into a new home and will be getting married in November. I'm looking for something special to put on our bed."

"Oh, how exciting!" Motioning toward the books she smiled, revealing deep dimples under her clear blue eyes. "Well, there are many different patterns. Do you like block or art quilts?"

"Oh, block! I enjoy hand piecing and quilting them."

The storeowner smiled brightly. "Well, how nice to see a young woman taking an interest."

"My grandma taught me when I was young."

Selecting a few books with a lot of different options and skill levels, Josie was left alone to comb through them. An idea began to form as she looked through the simple nine-patch patterns. Turning, she found Gemma and Donna thumbing through a stack of charity flyers.

"What if I put a big Sons patch here in the middle, and surround it by black and white nine-patch blocks?" She pointed out the pattern she was talking about. "I could make it a decent size, have people at the wedding sign the white patches, and then use it as a wall hanging."

Gemma smiled brightly. "That would be great, sweetheart."

"You could put it above the fireplace!" Donna grinned. "That makes way more sense for Happy then some guestbook you'll never look at."

Looking at the dimensions and suggested fabric sizes, Josie frowned. "Think I could get the patch with the top rocker embroidered onto a twenty four inch square piece of fabric?"

"Sure, darlin'." Gemma had gone back to looking through the flyers, now putting a few to the side. "I'll talk to the guy who does our t-shirts in town."

Nodding, Josie began selecting some calico material, knowing that it would stand up to hand stitching better than most alternatives. "Now, if I could find a dress, it's be a miracle!"

"Not having any luck?" The girl who had been cleaning was now leaning over the counter waiting to cut Josie's selections from the bolts of fabric.

Shaking her head, Josie sighed. "Everything seems geared toward either huge princess gowns or things so tight you can hardly walk."

"Well, I don't know if she'll have your perfect dress, but my aunt owns a bridal shop about three blocks over. It's more laid back and bohemian than most of the stuck up bitches on this side of town."

"Really? Where?"

After making their purchases and getting the address for the bridal shop, the three women went back to the car.

Waving Bobby over, Gemma smiled. "The girl inside suggested one last store. If we don't find anything there, we'll call it a day and go get some food."

"Alright," Bobby hitched his pants up over his considerable stomach. "Guess we can deal with that."

The store to which they had been directed was located in an artist hub. Flanked on either side by an upscale, but unusual, salon and an art gallery featuring a selection of feathered doll heads in the front window, Nicole's had been painted with a beautiful fairytale forest mural. Bobby and Half-Sack elected to join the ladies inside, as they were receiving a few looks from some of the male population. Josie snorted at the younger man's declaration that she had brought them to "a gay place" and told them to behave.

An attractive woman in a long dress came around a small counter to meet them as they walked through the door. "Hello! You must be Josephine?"

"Nicole?" Josie smiled lightly and shook her hand. "I'm so glad we ran into your niece!"

"Oh, I know how difficult some shops can be to find anything different and special in all their tediousness." Waving the men to the comfortable chairs set to one side of the main room, Nicole smiled. "Would you men like a beer while you wait?"

"That'd be great!" Bobby smiled.

"Chai will be right with you." Motioning to a tall African American woman with bracelets that covered her forearms, Nicole nodded before turning to the three women. "Now, let's see if we can't find something that you love."

Two hours later, Josie stood in front of a mirror that showed three side of her body swooning over the dress she was wearing. They had sworn the men to secrecy, not wanting them to say a word to Happy about it.

Motioning to Gemma, who was in charge of watching her bags while she tried on dresses, Josie smiled and said something she hadn't uttered all day. "Hand me my veil."

Draping the nearly thigh length lace creation over her head so that it framed her face, Gemma stepped back with a smile. "Beautiful."

"Absolutely!" Donna nodded happily.

Josie did a final twirl before beaming down from the little platform. "I'll take it."

Josie treated everyone to dinner at her favorite steakhouse in the city before they left for home. Osso's was rather expensive and had a dress code, but Josie knew the owners from countless wine tastings and charitable ventures. With one phone call, the trendy and beautiful woman set them up in one of the private dining rooms.

"Woah!" Bobby slipped into his Elvis voice as he looked around the opulently decorated room.

Half-Sack whistled quietly before looking over at Josie. "You sure this is okay?"

"Gemma and Donna's dresses were less than half of what I had budgeted for them, we skipped lunch, and you two have just been so understanding and wonderful. Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"It's really expensive," Half-Sack was staring at the menu as he spoke. "And shouldn't Happy be here?"

"And see me in my dress before the wedding?!" Josie snorted just as a much taller woman with controlled makeup and wildly blond hair entered to room trailed by two servers in crisp white shirts. "I think not."

Standing from her chair, Josie threw her arms out to greet the newcomer. "Gabriella!"

"Josephine!" Her accent changed Josie's name into something exotic and wonderful. "Welcome to Osso's!"

"Thank you so much for having us on such short notice and without the required wardrobe."

"Oh, those rules are for the people we do not know." Turning to the table, she smiled broadly. "You said you were to be married?"

"Yes, but my fiancée is not with us today." Leveling Gabriella with a frank look, Josie flashed a secretive smile. "Dress shopping, you know."

"Oh, how exciting!" Clapping, hair bobbed in the subdued lighting. "And these lovely people are…?"

"Gemma, Donna, Bobby, and Kip." Josie pointed to each in turn. "They are family of Happy."

"You're marrying a biker?" Gabriella blinked owlishly before breaking into a light laughter. "Well, I wish you all the love and luck in the world. My first husband was in a motorcycle club, you know."

"I know," Josie shrugged. "I knew we were friends for a reason. Gemma is married to the President of the Sons of Anarchy."

"Welcome to my restaurant." Gabby nodded to Gemma and smiled at the reserved response she received. "Are you going for something more catered or informal?"

Looking to Gemma, Josie shrugged. "We're still trying to figure out a place that will allow for so many men all at once."

"Ah, a great big run all based around your wedding." Grinning, Gabby took her hands. "**I insist **that you allow us to be the supplier for any steaks you may need. God knows I never would've survived all those weddings at your parents' vineyard without you."

"Okay," Josie nodded quickly. Why turn down the best steaks in the state? "I'll let you know when I have a better idea of what to expect."

"As for tonight, drinks are on the house, and I'll throw in a crab feast appetizer as an engagement present." With a final kiss on the cheek, she swept from the room with the air of a queen.

Josie laughed at the stunned looks on the others' faces and ordered a ginger martini from one of the servers. "What? You thought the owner had to be stuck up because of the way her restaurant is run?"

"Well. . . yeah." Donna shrugged and looked over the alcohol list. "Ummm… I would like a cucumber martini."

"Rob Roy." Gemma nodded at the waitress.

Bobby and Half-Sack both ordered beers, and the servers left to fill their orders before Gemma turned to Josie. "Who was her first husband?"

"I know his first name was Jean-Luc, and that he died in a turf war in Ontario nearly twenty years ago." Josie shrugged. "Gabby loved him very much, and still wears her engagement and wedding rings on her right hand."

Curiosity appeased, everyone settled in for a good meal.

O:O:O:O:O:

Josie counted time in strange fits and starts until Happy came home. The late evenings would drag along as listless and lifeless as a nearly severed limb until Happy called at the end of another day of riding or meetings. His voice had grown more raspy and full of gravel as the days wore on, and he plainly stated that he was becoming more "pissed off" with each passing day. It had become clear to him, as well as the others, that there was no need for the caution. The Mayans were serious about negotiating peace, and his only desire was to return to Charming.

"We should be in by Thursday afternoon," his voice was slightly more jovial at the news when they spoke late Monday night. "I guess they're waiting 'til Chibs and Jax are there to vote on my transfer."

"Well, Gemma is already planning a family dinner for you on Sunday, so I'm not worried about it." Josie grinned at his chuckle. "I just can't wait to have you home."

The gym had been set up Monday morning, and the guys had all been keen to see a complete workout that included weights. Just to give them an idea of the sorts of things she regularly did, Josie took them through the prescribed workout of the day from the official Crossfit website.

Settling onto the seat pads, she tuned out the men crowded at one end of the building. The small clock above their heads counted down from three, as she hooked her feet under the bar on the back extension platform. At 'zero', she bent backward, reaching for the floor with her right hand before exploding up to touch her toes and repeating the movement using left hand. After fifteen reps, she turned over and hooked her feet again. Doing a move like a sit up, she ended with her head pointed toward the floor before curling back up to start position. Going on to do fifteen of those, she them moved on to the weights.

While the prescribed workout was to do ten thrusters and ten clean & jerks with 135 pound bars, Josie knew that was beyond her abilities. Letting everyone know that she was scaling, she put up 115 pounds, which was the heaviest she was able to work with. After those twenty reps were completed, she moved back to the extender for round two.

When she had finished with the seventh – and final – circuit, she dropped the bar from nearly numb fingers and let herself flop onto the padded floor. She was glad that she had remembered to buy new weightlifting gloves to help protect her hands. When she first began lifting, she had ended up with peeling, bleeding blisters and palms that hurt too much to eat with. The black and pink accessories were a Godsend, as far as she was concerned.

Beast bounded over to her, licking her and wagging his tail for attention while the others cheered and clapped. The final clean and jerks had been a struggle, and her arms were too rubbery and weak to feel pain. Her legs had fared better, throbbing and aching in a way that told her they would be a bit sore, but not unmanageable. All signs of a good workout.

Tuesday and Wednesday had been filled with helping a friend of Donna's to organize her house to better accommodate the arrival of a new baby. The poor woman had been dealing with the clutter and headache of twin 5 year old boys, and was nearly in tears as she tried to pay Josie twice the agreed upon price. The boys' bedroom was much more open with the new bunk beds and shelves they had installed, so that there was room for the train table and some of the art supplies that had once taken up most of the living room area. Josie had helped her de-clutter and donate a lot of the old children's clothes and toys as well as things neither she nor her husband had any use or care for. Counting the project a huge success, Josie went home satisfied late Wednesday afternoon.

Having cleaned out the refrigerator and organized the pantry as she did every Wednesday, Josie looked at the clock. It was seven o'clock, but she wasn't remotely hungry. Deciding she'd make something simple for dinner later, she stretched her aching legs and decided that the light run and yoga she had accomplished that morning would have to do for the day. There was no point in hitting the gym if she was only going to hurt herself by overdoing it.

Nearly an hour later, she was finished watering the vegetable and herb gardens. Josie had started with the flowers and the rose bushes that now lined the fence before moving on to the planters hanging off the porch railing. Most of the flowers had had blooms when they were planted, and were now showing new buds. The roses were all growing well, their still closed buds promising to be a riot of color. Deciding that she would have to mow the grass on Saturday, Josie was winding the hose back onto its hook at the back of the house when her ear picked up a now familiar roar of a Harley.

Beast ran around to the front of the house, but circled around to the back and stopped on the patio facing the door leading into the garage before Josie could follow. Lowering his head, his small black ears laid back threateningly as he planted his little puppy feet firmly on the wood. Then the windowless door opened, Josie let out a squeal of happiness that stopped Beast in his tracks.

"Miss me?" Happy's sandpaper voice held barely controlled laughter.

Josie launched herself across the distance, colliding with his chest before he lifted her off the ground and drew her into a heated kiss. "Oh, God, did I ever! I thought you weren't coming in 'til tomorrow!"

"Chibs and Jax said they figured I'd kill someone before then, and we should come home as soon as possible." Laughing outright now, he spun them around before settling her back on her feet and looking at the clearly uncertain puppy. "Hey there, big guy."

Josie called Beast over and had him sit. Happy had been gone the entire time the puppy had been at the house, so she knew it would take him a moment to accept that the tall man belonged there. Happy understood the problem, and so held out a hand to be sniffed and inspected. After a few minutes, Beast was rubbing against his palm in a plea to be petted.

Chuckling, Happy turned toward the tiny woman still clinging to his left hand. "Think he likes me."

"That's good. I'm starting to really like him." Smirking up into Happy's dark gaze, Josie couldn't help but tease. "I'd hate to have to rehome you."

Bending at the waist, Happy wrapped his arm around her legs and stood with her over his shoulder. Swatting her sharply, he chuckled at her shrieking laughter. "C'mon, smartass. I need a shower."

Once they reached the master bedroom's en suite bathroom, Josie started the shower while Happy toed out of his boots and socks. Yanking her bra over her head, she tossed it down the laundry chute and unwound her hair before wriggling out of her shorts and panties. Bending at the waist, her forehead was even with her shin when she caught Happy's intense stare and winked.

She had enough time to bring herself upright and kick the discarded clothes to the side before she was being shoved into the open shower, her feet barely finding traction on the small adhesive ducks that decorated the bottom of the shallow tub as the warm water cascaded over her bare skin. Her hair was shoved to the side and teeth sank into her shoulder as the same time her thighs were spread and two fingers entered her roughly from behind. Her shout of pleasure kicked off a purr from deep in Happy's chest, and he worked her through her first orgasm and into her second while his jeans became sodden and heavy under the steady spray.

Spinning her to face him, he grinned predatorily into her dazed eyes and kissed her roughly before raising her hands to the metal bar that ran along the back of the shower wall. "Hold on, babygirl. Your Old Man needs to taste you."

Whimpering, Josie did as instructed. Wrapping her fingers around the thin bar meant to hold washcloths, she prayed that it was implanted in the wall deep enough to support her weight. Happy growled happily at the picture she presented as he slid to his knees and hooked her thighs over his shoulders. Supporting her lower back with his strong, tapered fingers, he sank his tongue deep inside her before lapping at her clit.

It didn't take long for her to cum against his talented mouth, and Happy was seized with the need to have her writhing, beautiful body under him. He jerked the curtain to the side, ripping a few rings free of the vinyl. Josie's languid body was once again hauled against him, and he managed to lay her out on the floor before struggling out of his wet clothes. Ripping open the now soggy foil wrapper, he slid a condom on before angling her hips off the tile and entering her while still on his knees.

Josie moaned at the wonderful feeling of finally having him pounding deep inside her, her hands seeking and finding the bottom of the counter over her head. Keeping herself from sliding along the wet surface, she began to arch and moan as Happy moved. She wasn't at the right angle to orgasm again, but she wasn't about to complain as she watched her lover's face contort in pleasure.

Happy was more in tune with Josie than he had ever been with anyone before, and he recognized the sounds she was making and the way she was moving. He knew she was enjoying herself, but also knew it wasn't enough to get her there before he finished. Reaching forward, he grasped her arms and pulled her up and into his lap.

As she straddled him, her eyes nearly even with his own and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, sweat running down her neck and mingling with the water dripping from her hair, the tenor of the room changed. Happy's pupils expanded as he stared into her aqua eyes, throwing her into stark relief against the blurred background. The lithe body wrapped in his muscular arms and sliding against his chest was more precious than any single thing on the planet.

Recognizing suddenly that they were on the floor of the bathroom of all places, Happy managed to gain his feet and stand. Josie cinched her legs around him tighter and let him take her into the bedroom. She gave a fleeting thought to the still running shower, but soon forgot all about it as he laid her out along the foot of the bed and began thrusting into her as he remained standing. Pulling her legs from around his waist, he held her knees open and watched as he moved in and out of her body.

"Got any toys?" He wanted to watch her as he played.

Blinking through her haze, Josie motioned toward her nightstand. "There."

Finding the small clitoral vibrator easily, Happy returned them to their position and once again began to watch himself moving in and out of her. Hooking her left leg over the footboard, he spread her right knee wide and brought the small toy to rest just against the hood sheltering the bundle of nerves.

"NNNnnnmmmmmmmmm…" Josie began trying to move against him and was soon frustrated when she was unable to do so.

Happy chuckled and touched the spinning metal against her most sensitive spot. She screamed and clutched the blanket as she came for him almost immediately. He stopped moving and breathed through the exquisite feeling of her walls squeezing rhythmically around him.

"Like that, little girl?"

Josie nodded bonelessly. "Uh huh."

"Good, because it's gonna happen again." Working her with his hard shaft, he used the vibrator to make her cum three more times before he allowed himself to speed up.

The comforter was soaked with the evidence of her orgasms and she began to beg for him to finish, a sob running through her words of love and devotion, when he tossed the battery operated toy to the side and pushed her back on the bed. Sinking his hands deep in her hair and pressing his chest to hers, Happy caught her watery orbs with his burning gaze. Rolling his hips, he managed to massage her clit in a rhythm that was almost soothing after the all-out warfare he had waged over the last hour.

"Got one more in ya, girl?"

His voice was quiet as he moved slowly, and Josie shivered as it caressed her lovingly. "Yeah. Ah've got another one fer ya."

"Mmmmm, you are beautiful when you get off all over me. And I fuckin' love that accent."

"Oh!" Josie gasped in surprise as the lax coil suddenly moved to tighten within her core. "God, I love when you're inside me."

Sinking into her, he groaned as he kissed her deeply.

The vibration and the feeling of being connected from their mouths to where he entered her set off little explosions of electricity along her legs and spine. Her surprised cry of pleasure was muffled by his lips and tongue as she shattered and fell apart around him. Happy sped up against her and drew back from her bruised lips as he pumped his load into the latex sheath.

Catching her eyes with his once again, he waited until she blinked into reality once more. "Fuckin' love you, little girl."

Josie drew him down into a tight embrace, allowing her body to shake with the turmoil of his confession and the physical exertion of the last hour.

"I love you too, big guy."

**NOTE: **I chose Ontario and "about 20 years ago" for a reason. At that time, the Hells Angels were moving into Canada. The resulting conflicts between that club and clubs already in the area resulted in over 150 deaths. I mean no disrespect, chose the name Jean-Luc for its commonality, and any resemblance to any real person is a coincidence.


	18. Girl Gone

Donna and Josie walked on either side of Ellie, their tennis shoes smacking the warm sidewalk languidly, as they made their way back to the clubhouse from lunch at the diner. The younger girl had the day off from school due to passing state required tests. While other students were forced to retake certain areas, or to make up something they had missed, she was free to spend a sunny Friday afternoon with her mom and the sweet southern redhead she was growing to see as a treasured aunty.

The patched members of SAMCRO would be voting on Happy's transfer in Church that evening, and he was holding on to his confident air like a spinster to her last house cat. Josie had assured him time and time again that no one would vote against him, as they all either loved him or were too afraid of him to say anything against his relocating permanently. Tig was nearly bouncing off the walls he was so excited to have a partner in crime living in the same small town.

"So the dresses are handled." Donna twirled the vanilla sprinkle cone she had ordered for desert in an attempt to stay ahead of the drips. "Now, you just need a place to hold everybody."

"Hasn't Gemma told you?!" Josie sipped her strawberry milkshake slowly. It was thick and kept collapsing the straw, the chunks of fruit occasionally obstructing the flow. "She managed to get the fairgrounds for us."

"Are there really going to be that many people?" Ellie looked between the two women as she sucked air from her nearly empty chocolate shake, having drunk it as quickly as possible.

Josie shrugged. "Happy has traveled a lot between the western charters and even to the east coast occasionally. Besides, I have a feeling it doesn't take much to get the Sons to party."

"That's for sure!" Donna giggled and nudged Josie behind her daughter's back. "But Josie has something to ask you, Squirt."

Looking down at the young girl, Josie swallowed her mouthful of ice cream and milk before she smiled. "How would you like to be a flower girl?"

"Me? Really?" At her mother's nod, Ellie squealed and wrapped her arms around Josie's waist. "That's so great! Does this mean I get to have a pretty dress too?"

"Um, yeah!" Josie rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Nah, we're gonna make you wear jeans."

The three giggled and walked slowly along the small town's streets. A few passing people looked at them strangely before deciding that the young girl with them must have an honest excuse for not being in classes that day. The garage calendars had come out the week before to a hugely positive response, and twice Josie had stopped to scrawl her name across a copy held open to a favorite month. Josie would giggle as Donna teasingly stuck her tongue out at someone's back if they looked a little too long or hard at one of them. The late summer sun was warm, though not so hot as to be uncomfortable, and the three walked in companionable silence between their giggles and slurps.

The trip from the dinner to the garage was only four blocks, and they were halfway to their destination when the door of a grey van slid open. Three men in dirty shirts and torn jeans jumped out to intercept them as another started the engine. Two guns were leveled at the women, and Josie slid slightly in front of Donna who had dropped her cone and pulled her daughter behind her own body.

"Get in." The man closest to the van, large and with greying hair, motioned toward the door with the barrel of the pistol he carried. "Now."

Josie kept herself between the guns and her friend. Leaning back slightly, she kept her eyes on the strangers as she spoke to Donna. "Get to the garage."

"What?"

"Get Ellie out of here!" Motioning toward the side road that she knew would lead to the back side of the clubhouse, Josie suddenly pushed Donna and Ellie toward the opening before swinging around to block the men. "Run!"

"Son of a bitch!" The youngest of the assailants cursed and gave a start.

"Let 'em be!" Keeping herself between the alley and the men, Josie struggled to buy the two fleeing figures some time. "You fire a gun this close to the clubhouse, and you'll give yourselves away. You wait much longer to leave, and the Sons will be here."

"How do you know we ain't here to kill you?" The old man was apparently the leader and did all of the talking for the others.

Josie shrugged. She really had no idea, but she wasn't going to let **them **know that. "Would've done it already."

"You're right. We would have." Stepping forward, he grabbed her roughly. "Now, get in."

Stepping into the primer grey vehicle, Josie had just enough time to see that there were no seats in the back before one of the younger men swung his pistol at the back of her head. The world flickered and then went black.

**Happy**

Tig was living up to his namesake, bouncing around the garage and coming up with ridiculous ways for them to celebrate Happy's transfer to Redwood Original. So far, he had come up with a trip to the Jellybean (a strip club that catered to men who weren't picky about the size or cleanliness of their strippers), shaving every cat in town to look like lions, and stealing a Sheriff's cruiser in order to go for drive-thru tacos at 2 in the morning. Happy was having fun just shooting down the ideas to see what he would come up with in return. Chibs would chuckle and throw out an idea or word every so often just to stir him up if he had been quiet for too long.

Pounding feet drew his attention before the sound of crying and screaming started.

Donna was stumbling and nearly carrying her daughter as they sprinted around the gate from the opposite direction of the diner. Not seeing Josie with them, his heart dropped to his boots and his brain went slightly fuzzy. Opie's long legs beat the others to his wife, and he was pulling his daughter up into his arms as they both talked and pointed behind them.

"Where?!" Opie's voice boomed over the ruckus and he spun to face Happy and the others after Donna's breathless answer. "Josie's been kidnapped."

Happy's roar filled the lot and rattled off the office windows. Gemma threw open the door and began shouting questions as Chibs and Tig wrapped their arms around Happy's shoulders and torso in order to manhandle him into the privacy of the clubhouse and away from anyone he might choose to focus his anger upon. The livid man fought the whole way, beyond reason or conscious thought, as he kicked and struggled to free himself. Tig began speaking to him quietly until he calmed and began pacing restlessly in front of the bar. Opie brought his wife and daughter in, and Gemma brought up the rear with Clay and the others.

"Who took her? Where the fuck is she?!" Turning suddenly, he lifted a chair. Happy hurled it across the room and through the plasterboard covering the far wall.

Opie shook his head and shielded Donna and Ellie with his wide back. "We don't know. Donna says they were all white guys, but not wearing anything special."

"Daddy? They were from Washington." Ellie's small voice was quiet in the tense air.

Spinning to face the preteen peaking around her father's elbow, her fingers wrapped in his floppy work shirt, Happy crouched down. Knowing he shouldn't yell at the girl, he fought to keep his voice calm and spoke as gently as he could to her. "What was that, girlie?"

"Their van. It had Washington license plates."

Clay and Opie glanced at each other and then came to stand beside the enforcer so they could all face her as she stood beside her mother. "You sure?"

"Uh huh. Mom pushed me back, and then Josie got in front of her, and I was far enough to see the front of the van. It was that ugly primer grey, and had the plates with the mountains and said Washington across the top." Her young face twisted up in thought before she brightened once more. "There was a thing around the mirror like in Grampa's van that he uses when he's sick!"

Donna flicked a glance at the older man, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The blue thing. With the wheelchair."

"She means the handicap placard." Pushing his breathing tube closer to his nose, Piney took a deep breath. "I use it when I pick the kids up from school."

"Do you remember anything else?" Opie was crouched beside Happy now, speaking as nicely as he could to his frightened daughter. "Anything at all."

Ellie grew silent for a moment and then nodded quickly. "There was a J and a 4 in the numbers."

"Good girl. Hap, you stay here in case they call." Clay turned and pointed Piney, Chibs, Bobby, and Jax to the door. "We split up. Hit the streets and highways. See if we can find these bastards."

Juice was already setting up his laptop at a corner table, fingers flying over the keys. "I'll see who has those placards in Washington and start narrowing from there."

Happy paced the length of the bar once again before disappearing into his room. Yanking a seldom used bag from the closet, he retrieved his cleaning supplies and strode back into the main room. Glancing up at a tearful Donna and visibly angry Opie, he nodded toward Ellie's blond head where her face was now buried in her father's shoulder as she wept.

"You don't want her seein' this."

Without a word, Opie retreated to the other side of the room while Happy began emptying the duffle onto the longest table in the room. A pair of shears with what appeared to be a crocodile's head and teeth sat next to a collar made of heavy leather with a double ended two-pronged fork. Rope and duct tape followed, with a roll of heavy canvas being unfurled to display a collection of knives. There were clamps and gags. Shiny metal handcuffs were neatly stacked beside a pile of heavy chains.

Without looking away from his work, Happy growled. "Gonna find these motherfuckers, and make them pay in blood."

"Let Juice work his magic." Tig carried his own bag into the room and began cleaning his guns and knives at the next table. "We need to go in and get her as peaceful as possible. After that, they're all yours."

"Could be a lot of them."

Tig shrugged before pinning Happy with a set of blue eyes that shone with a manic light. "Then I get to play, too."

Nodding, Happy continued to clean and sharpen his tools, visions of blood and screams painting the inside of his head a scarlet nightmare.

**Josie**

She woke to the van rattling over a pockmarked and rutted road up to an old warehouse. Her wrists were already beginning to chafe under the restrictive ropes at her back. The bright afternoon sun glinted through the single back window, slicing through her throbbing head without mercy. She could hear the men mumbling to each other at the front of the van.

"What're we doin' with her?" One of the younger men shifted uncomfortably.

The older man who had ordered her into the van turned to look at them from his spot in the passenger seat. "We send a message."

"By killing a woman?"

"No, by killing an Old Lady." He chuckled darkly. "They did away with our club. Now, they have to deal with the consequences."

"We doing this here?"

"What are you, retarded?" One of the men scoffed. "We have to wait 'til they're all running around like the fuckin' idiots they are so we can sneak her into their own clubhouse and slit her throat there. **That's **how you send a fuckin' message."

When the van ground to a halt seconds later, Josie forced herself to look past the fear shooting through her mind to take stock of her situation. While her legs were unbound, she didn't stand much of a chance of running away. These men had numbers, weapons, a van, and knowledge of where they were. Her only chance would be to run off road, but she couldn't even see out the windows to know which way she would head. Resolving to watch and wait for an opportunity to run – they didn't want to take her out right away, after all – she sat up as the door opened and obediently stepped out.

"Well, aren't you just a cute little thing?" The older man chuckled. "Didn't have time to notice before."

The younger man, the one Josie was sure had knocked her out, ran his eyes along her long legs showcased by the cutoffs she wore. "I say we have a little fun with her first."

"Don't be an asshole, Poke." Another young man appeared at her side and jerked her toward the building. "Ain't gonna do nothin' to you."

"Except kill me, right?"

Sighing, he glanced around at the others. Seeing that no one was looking at them, he led her through the thin metal door. "I'm Bug. I didn't want to do this, but majority rules. I'll see what I can do to help."

Knowing that she would be an idiot to trust him, Josie shrugged. "You do what you think you can."

Leading her to a small room that had once been a manager's office, he pushed her inside and locked the door behind her.

Josie spent the next several hours circling around the mostly empty room and its small attached bathroom. There was a desk and two chairs set to one side, and two filing cabinets rested at the other end of the room. An empty phone jack yawned from under the desk, and any wires Josie was able to locate disappeared into the wall or ended in frayed bursts of colorful wires. The bathroom held a toilet and sink along with a small mirror that had been screwed into the wall. Her purse sat on the desk where she had left it, though someone had taken her phone. A set of large plate glass windows let her see the ten men circling the warehouse floor below.

She began to notice that eight men would stay together in the large room while two were outside. Every so often they would switch off so that different men could take watch. The others seemed to occupy themselves with playing cards or messing around on cell phones. Occasionally, one would look up at her through the glass or stop by the door to peak at her.

The room was warm with the sun now sinking low in the sky. Josie unbuttoned the oversized sweater she wore over her tank top and tied it around her waist. One of the protein bars she kept in her purse made a decent enough dinner, and she washed it down with a few sips of water from the reusable bottle she habitually carried.

"Hey!" The man's voice was muffled, but she could make out what he was saying through a cracked window that was missing its lower left corner. "The call went out two hours ago. Every charter west of the Mississippi is on high alert and looking for the van."

"Too bad it's already on its way to Boopy's shop to be repainted." The one they called Poke leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "And the stolen plates were destroyed the minute we got back."

The men laughed loudly, slapping each other on the back. Josie stepped away from the window without being seen and went to sit at the desk. A few minutes later, the old man appeared with a few bags of chips and an unopened bottle of water. Josie raised an eyebrow at the offerings and then studiously ignored his presence until he gave a quiet 'humph' and left the room.

Bored beyond measure, Josie began cleaning out her purse. There were nail clippers and tweezers that she put back in their little case with its tiny nail file and clear nail polish. Lipsticks and chapsticks were slipped into one of the small side pockets. There were a few pieces of trash which she balled up and placed on the corner of the desk. Feeling a lump under the lining of the purse, she frowned and felt around to find the small hole in the satin. A small pocket knife slid out and she caught it up in her hand, grateful to possess any weapon.

The sun touched the tip of the mountains bordering Lake Tahoe like a ballerina balancing on pointe for a quiet moment before slipping behind the snowy peaks. The room was awash in a brilliant dance of purples and reds before fading into the soft greyness of twilight. Josie resigned herself to spending the night in the hands of these unfriendly men and wedged one of the chairs under the door handle to allow her a bit of security. At least any efforts to open the door would wake her, should she be able to sleep.


	19. Little Girl Found

**Everyone say 'Hello' to sillygabby! She's agreed to beta this thing, though she's been a HUGE help in sounding ideas and such all along.**

**Also:** Please see the link on my profile for lots of pics for this story. (I add something almost every chapter.)

**Josie**

All was quiet and nearly dark when a knock came at the door. It was nearly midnight, and Josie had been staring at the ceiling for hours. Bug waved at her through the window and held up a small container of peanut butter. Standing slowly, she has happy to feel that the headache was now completely gone. Easing the door open, she stared at her youngest kidnapper silently.

"I managed to get this for you at the gas station a bit ago. Had to wait for the others to sleep before I brought it to you." He held out the small pot of peanut butter, it's foil seal still intact as well as a spoon. "You need to eat that now so I can take the trash."

Nodding, she dug into the salty nut paste. She felt better almost instantly, the protein easing her jumping stomach while the sugars cleared her foggy mind. Sipping the last of her water, Josie was glad to see that he had brought her another bottle.

"Why are you with these guys?" She kept her voice low, but she had to ask. He was much too sweet to be wrapped up in this situation. "You know this isn't right."

"Poke is my cousin. My mom died when I was little, and his dad took me in." He shrugged and looked around almost helplessly. "I was thinking of trying to prospect for the Devil's Tribe, but then they patched over and he left. I guess I'm just sort of stuck with him, even if I **do **hate him."

Finished with the meager meal, she handed the container back to her uneasy companion. "You know they're all going to die, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Hearing movement from below, he hurried her back into the office and began whispering franticly. "I'll try to get you out. We're about fifteen miles southwest of Indian Hills. Lots of forest and hills. You can follow Eagle Ridge Road right into the city."

The thud of heavy feet on the thin metal stairs stopped any response she had and propelled Bug from the room. Closing the door, he locked it before walking toward the stairs as if he hadn't been speaking with her at all.

Josie peered through the small square of glass and watched as Poke's head slowly came into view over the landing. Once he cleared the steps completely, he wrapped a hand around the back of Bug's neck and jerked the smaller man forward roughly to speak in his ear. She watched as Bug's hands curled into tight fists even as his shoulders slumped and he nodded slightly. Understanding dawned, and she hated Poke even more than before.

Bug felt he was stuck with his older cousin because he had been kept under a boot heel for so long. He had been abandoned and then abused by those who were supposed to take care of him. He was still being abused even now.

She had enough time to wonder if Bug even **wanted **to join a motorcycle club before Poke was unlocking the door and pushing it open.

Looking her over, he sneered at the sweater she pulled tighter around her body. Jerking her forward, he breathed acridly into her face. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?" Josie allowed him to pull her out of the room and along the thin platform until they reached a metal door.

Pushing the door open, cool air washed over the pair as he led her outside. "We're gonna have us a little fun."

The knot of worry in her gut turned into a clenching fear, and Josie began to force herself to breathe through it. Nothing good could come of hyperventilating or passing out now. He was pushing her around the outside of the building where it had been built into the hillside. Seeing that his pistol had been left in the holster at his hip, Josie slid her right and uncontested hand into the pocket of her shorts to feel that the small knife was still there. Palming the three inch blade, she tried to think of a way to distract him as she slowly worked it open.

"I think you should take me back inside."

"Like I give a fuck what some biker whore thinks." Poke snorted. "We all know what you sluts do to get an Old Man, and you must be pretty damn good for him to slide that ring on you."

Josie shook her head as he pushed her around some trees. "I'm not like that!"

"You're **all **like that!" Shoving his watch in her face, he growled. "The bitch who bought me this watch said she was different, that she wouldn't fuck around on me, but here we fuckin' are!"

Keeping the surprise off her face as she recognized the watch, Josie focused on what he was saying. "But I would never cheat on Happy!"

This startled the man, and he stopped short. "You're not with that asshole. No one is."

"Yes, I am!"

Sweeping her legs out from under her, he shoved her down into the undergrowth. Wrapping a large hand around her throat he began squeezing harshly. "Well, you're not right now, bitch. Now, you're mine."

Kicking out, she landed a solid blow to his hip and he was forced to release the chokehold in order to work himself between her legs. The back of his hand made contact with her cheek, and she felt his ring rip through the flesh there. Knowing he would have to let up in order to remove her shorts, Josie lay still and silent.

With an evil smirk, Poke slid back and looked her over. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy getting all up in you."

"It'll never happen."

The screech of an owl in a nearby tree diverted his attention from answering. Swinging her unhindered right arm, Josie managed to lodge her tiny blade in the side of his throat. He let go of her with a shout of surprised pain, and smacked at the metal. With him distracted, Josie rushed forward and shouldered him to the ground. Grasping the front of his hair by his forehead, she smacked the back of his skull against a rock until he stopped struggling.

Taking the gun from its holster, she checked to make sure it was loaded and secured the safety once she was certain it could be of some use. Hitting the small push button on the band of Poke's watch, she tapped the glass and smiled when it responded just the way she thought it would. A man in her crossfit class had received one just like it for his anniversary and took great delight in showing the others how the multiple functions worked. He had taken great pride in the compass feature especially.

Hurriedly checking the direction and slipping the watch on her wrist, Josie removed her sweater. Balling it up tightly, she pressed it over Poke's knee. Pushing the pistol into the wool, she pulled the trigger. The .9mm round did not wake him up, and she hoped the sound had been muffled enough to buy her some time.

Turning, she jogged into the forest and headed northeast.

Setting an even pace in the hilly forest was nearly impossible, but Josie made decent time by jogging when she could along a muddy creek bed. The occasional sound of a passing motor let her know that she was following the only road through the forest well. Bug had told her that it would lead her right into Indian Hills, and he seemed to have been telling the truth. The compass on the watch read 'north' most of the time with occasional forays toward 'east'.

By three o'clock, her energy was flagging and she had covered nearly 9 miles of the trek when blinking neon peeked through the trees. Easing out of the tree line, she kept to the shadows as she looked over the small gas station an general store. The neon read 'open 24/7' and a large sign below stated that there was 'bait, chips, beer, and ammunition' to be bought within. As she watched, an old truck lumbered up to the pumps and two teenaged boys clambered out as a middle aged man – their father, by the looks of things – got out to fill up.

"Put twenty on the pump, and then you boys get something hot in you! Got a long morning in the woods ahead of us." Chuckling, he placed the nozzle in the gas tank and squeezed the handle to begin pumping.

Shoring up her courage, Josie jogged across the road. "Excuse me?"

Looking up, the stranger startled at her disheveled appearance. "Miss? You okay?"

"Um, no. Not. . . Not really."

"Are you hurt? Were you attacked?" Leaving the gas tank, he let go of the handle to cut off the flow of fuel before he stepped closer.

Josie kept an eye on the road, knowing that she was at risk every second she stayed in the open, but also thinking that it was safer to lie. "I – I got in a fight. With my boyfriend."

"It looks like it!" Reaching forward slowly, he tilted her head to the side to look at the cut on her cheek. Seeing the bruise on her neck, he winced. "We should call the cops."

"Sir? I thank you for your concern, but I would just really like a ride into Indian Hills. I have family there."

"The name's Jim, and of course I'll give you a ride."

"I'm Josie." Nodding to the truck, she smiled. "I'll ride in back."

"Oh no, you will not! My momma would rise from her grave and skin me alive if I let a hurt, tired girl ride in the back of my truck." He shook his head and ushered her around to the passenger side. "You get in there and stretch your legs out. We'll be on the road shortly."

Accepting his offer, she hauled herself into the lifted 4x4 and felt her screaming legs and back begin to unwind. She watched as the two boys came out carrying a bag each, with one toting a hot cup of coffee for their father. Jim's muffled voice directed them to the back, and she managed a small wave as they stared at her curiously.

Handing her his cup of coffee, Jim climbed in and started the truck before talking. "You drink that. It's got cream and sugar, so it should perk you up some."

"Thank you." Taking a sip, she sighed.

"Now, where am I taking you?"

"Know where the Sons of Anarchy clubhouse is?"

He nodded. "Just outside of town. Maybe a fifteen minute drive."

"That's where I'm going."

"You sure?" He glanced at her as he turned onto the desolate road. "Those guys can be pretty rough.'

"Like I said: they're family."

The trip felt like it took no time at all after running for hours through the thick forest underbrush, and Josie had never been so happy to see a line of bikes outside a dusty, windowless building as she was when the truck's brakes squealed to a stop. The front door opened, and she recognized Hopper's long dark hair in the clubhouse lights. She pushed the door open, and she wasn't sure if she or the door groaned louder.

"Thank you, Jim. So, so much." She heard a shout go up from the club's door as her feet touched the ground and the lights reflected off her tangled hair and shoulders.

Jim looked over the men tumbling out of the building and nodded. "You **sure **this is alright? I can take you back to my house, and my wife can take care of you. She's a nurse."

"No, this is good." Standing back, she allowed the boys to hop into the truck before she shut to door, smiling as their young faces took in the scene around them through the open window. "Thank you again."

"Well, alright. If you need anything, I own the outdoor store over on Peakview."

Nodding and waving, Josie turned toward the assembled crowd. When Jury stepped forward, arms held open wide, she fell into him with a sob.

**Happy**

Happy had cleaned his tools twice, packed and repacked his duffle, and then cleaned and oiled every firearm in the building. That had gotten him through to midnight. By three o'clock, he was doing pushups in the middle of the floor while Tig paced the bar. Neither man could sleep, both wound too tightly with worry and anticipation of the job they had in front of them. Happy held no illusions about what he had in mind for the men who had taken his woman, and he devised something more horrendous with each hour he was forced to endure without her. Tig was likewise occupied with imagining what he would do to whichever ones Happy threw his way.

The club was on lockdown until further notice, all the members crowded into the clubhouse with their families. Most of the men were still awake, playing cards quietly to pass the time or shooting pool just to have something to do. No one was drinking anything other than the occasional beer, wanting to be ready as soon as word came in. Juice hadn't left his corner for anything other than a few trips to the toilet, and only then because Gemma had insisted that he not use an empty bottle. Opie and Donna had finally gotten Ellie to settle in, though she kept crying out in her sleep.

Happy had conceded that the big man deserved to get his own hits in on the men who had dared pull a gun on his wife and daughter. Opie had taken him aside and let him know that Josie's rescue and condition was more important than anything at the moment, but that he wanted in on whatever Happy and Tig were going to do. While Happy understood where he was coming from, he seriously doubted the younger man wanted to be as involved as he thought.

After all, no one besides Happy in the Redwood Original wore the 'Unholy Ones' patch.

It was nearly 3:30 when Happy's prepay lit up with a call from Jury. Not wanting to hear any more words of support, he sighed as he flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Happy?" Josie's tearful voice ripped through him like a chainsaw.

Jerking himself away from where he had slumped a table, the chair clattered to the floor drawing every eye to his still form. "Josie? That you little girl?"

"Hey, big guy." She laughed in relief.

Raising a fist in triumph, Happy shouted to the room. "She's safe! Indian Hills has her!"

As a cheer went up in Charming, Josie laughed through her tears in Nevada. "Tell everyone I'm okay. A bit banged up, but okay."

"Banged up, how?" His voice was a growl and menace, and the men around him quieted. "They hurt you?"

"Not too bad, and not nearly as bad as it could've been." Sighing, Josie eased away from where she had been tucked into Jury's side. "Jury said you guys would come here."

"Hell yeah, we're coming there!" Happy watched as Jax led Clay and Piney into the room, filling them in as they went. The older men had needed a nap, but had left orders to be woken as soon as there was any change. "Prez?"

Clay climbed up on the stage. "Saddle up, boys! Let's go get Hap's Old Lady."

Happy chuckled and told Josie he loved her quietly as the others filed out of the main room. "Tell Jury that SAMCRO is rollin' out now. We'll be there in about two hours."

"Is everyone coming? Jury said you were on lockdown."

Strapping his pack to his bike, Happy chuckled. "Gemma and Donna are coming. Juice and Half-Sack and staying with Piney to help look after the clubhouse."

"So I'll see everyone in a few hours?"

He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Go get some rest girl. You're gonna need it."


	20. Taking Care of Business

**NOTE: Before anyone points it out, **remember that Gemma lashed out at Cherry for showing up in Charming after an unsatisfying session with Clay. As she is in Indian Hills, and has had no problems with Clay, Gemma can be okay with the younger girl.

**Warning! There is a pretty big torture sequence at the end. Please, don't read it if you're uncomfortable. PM me for questions/answers. **

Jury and Hopper were waiting on the front steps as the members of the mother charter backed their bikes up to the clubhouse. Leaving everything strapped to his bike in place, Happy made his way past the others. Jury stepped in front of the doors before he could enter, and everyone froze at his sound of displeasure.

"Sorry to hold you up, brother, but I need to let you know a few things." Jury shifted under the taller man's intense glare. "She told us where they kept her, and we've got eyes on the place. I'll get a call as soon as there's movement.

"Your girl's got a cut on her cheek, said it was from a ring, and it needs stitches. She wouldn't let our guy touch her; said it'd be Chibs or no one. Got a bruise around her neck and some on her face. One of our good girls, Cherry, has been with her since she hung up with you."

Happy frowned and spit to the side. "Someone choke her?"

Hopper nodded. "Looks like a hand."

Jury stepped out of the way and jerked Hopper after him just in time to miss the enforcer's body barreling through the door.

Happy stepped into the clubhouse, and the men milling around the room hurried to get out of his way. Josie was curled up on the couch with her bare feet tucked under her as another girl carefully combed through her long curls. The fact that she was wearing the same clothes in which she had on when she was taken did not go unnoticed as he waited for her to see him. The sudden quiet of the room filtered into the back of Josie's overtaxed mind, and she turned to see what had changed. Catching his intense black stare, she knew he was there. That he had come for her. Before she realized what she was doing she was across the room and in his arms. Nothing else had registered, and she heard no other voice but his gravel-filled rasp.

"I got you, girl. You're okay." He held her against his chest so that her face was buried in his neck and her feet swung around his knees.

She hadn't realized she was crying until he spoke, and she let out a sobbing laugh through her tears. "I knew you would come."

"Always will."

Wrapping one hand in her hair, he pulled her head back. He frowned at the cut on her cheek, butterfly taped shut but still dribbling blood down to her chin, and the tears spilling over from her unusual eyes. It was rare for Happy to learn new things about himself, but he realized with a start that he absolutely detested when Josie cried. At a loss for what to do to stem the tide of her weeping, he brought her lips to his in a slow, deep kiss. No one commented on the public display, choosing to greet the other members of SAMCRO as they filtered into the room around the embracing couple.

When they drew apart, Chibs cleared his throat softly and motioned to Josie's cheek. "Gonna need ta look a' tha' cut, lovey. Why didn' ye let them take care ah ya?"

Shrugging, Josie let Happy place her on the floor and moved to sit at a table Cherry had cleaned and sprayed with a diluted bleach solution. "Didn't want them touchin' me without Hap around."

Settling into chairs, Chibs looked the cut over and declared stitches to be a necessary evil. Needles set a kit, complete with sterilized needles and a vial of lidocaine, on the table. Josie squeezed Happy's arm tightly as Chibs ran the syringe under her skin, injecting the anesthetic around the cut so she wouldn't have to feel the needle and threads running through the already tender flesh.

Gemma leaned in and pressed a kiss to Josie's uninjured cheek before accepting a drink from one of Jury's girls. "Glad you made it out."

"Want to tell us what happened?" Clay's voice made it clear that it wasn't really a question.

"Just tell us who did it, and we'll go take care of them." Tig's eyes shown like two chips of the summer sky. His excitement was clear for all to see.

Josie watched as Chibs completed a stitch before she glanced at the assembled men waiting to hang on her every word. "One of them didn't want to be there, and he helped me. So, you can't hurt him!"

"If he really helped you, we'll give him a chance." Jax smiled reassuringly. "Just start at the beginning."

Josie took a deep breath and launched into the tale, starting with stepping in front of Donna and ending with the hug from the fatherly president of the Nevada Sons. She gave every name she could think of, even that of the man who was repainting the van, and as much detail as she could remember. Happy began growling when she explained what had happened behind the warehouse with Poke, but let out a surprised laugh when she told him about stabbing and shooting the man before he could complete his plans.

"Why'd you shoot him in the leg?" Opie frowned from his spot beside Jax, Donna balanced on his knee. "Why not kill the bastard?"

"And rob Happy of his fun?" Josie scoffed and slowly stretched her jaw against the strange numbing. "I don't hardly think so!"

That brought a chuckle from her fiancée's chest, and he pulled her close to press a kiss to her forehead. "Thanks, little girl."

"Bug was always a good kid, but didn't want to prospect for the club. Too scared shitless of Poke to say anything about it, though." One of the Nevada Sons spoke up from the edge of the group. "Poke was always smacking him around and telling the poor guy what to do. I could see him helping the girl out."

Cherry paused after cleaning up the table and nodded. "Bug is a good guy. He wouldn't want to hurt a girl."

"So, we let him choose." Clay nodded. "He can let his asshole cousin face what he's done and leave clean."

"What I don't understand, is why they were after one of SAMCRO's Old Ladies to start with." Josie frowned and sipped her iced tea. "They kept talking about sending a message. What message?!"

It was Jury who answered her. "Some of the guys were angry about the patch over. While most of them just left, a smaller group apparently decided that they would form their own MC. They wanted to make a name for themselves."

"Well, that's. . . fucked up." Josie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hurting girls to get themselves noticed."

"Hell, a lot of the men have already come back around asking about how to get back in. It's hard to go back to being nobody once you've been a part of a motorcycle club." Jury shook his head. "It's also hard to figure out how you're going to make the kind of money without the club that you got used to receiving. Non club members can't work in our strip joints, and most of the bookmakers and bouncers in town know not to hire them either."

"So these guys want to form their own MC so they can be better than just the ordinary guys, can make money, and will still have brothers they can count on?"

A rumbling of bikes interrupted Jury's answer, and a young prospect ran inside. "Mayans!"

Clay, Jax, and Jury moved toward the door with Tig and Hopper following close behind. Chibs and Happy occupied themselves with tilting Josie's head back in order to look at the bruising around her throat. The impression of a hand could clearly be seen, and Happy vowed that the man who had done that would feel pain before he died. The others returned minutes later with Alvarez and his son.

With a look to Happy, the Mayan president waited for his small nod before reaching forward the clasp her hand in his. "The Mayans are glad to see that you have been returned to your people whole and mostly well."

"Well, bless your heart! Thank you so much for your concern."

"When word reached us that you had been taken, my daughter was sure that you would be free within hours. She thinks very highly of you."

Josie chuckled and thanked him again before Gemma drew her attention to the state of her clothes. "Well, I'm so sorry I didn't want to share clothes with any of the club girls. No offense, Cherry."

"None taken, hun." Cherry winked and grinned. "I'd feel weird wearing someone else's clothes, too."

"Brought you some shit." Happy grinned at her shocked expression. "What, you thought I was gonna want you to be uncomfortable or some shit? Could be here a few days."

Happy retrieved his bags from his Harley and then led Josie down a long back hallway to the room he had been loaned. The bed was wider than in most of the other rooms, and Josie sank down on it gratefully while he took out what he had packed for her. There was her small toiletry bag with comb, brush, some hair supplies, and minimal makeup. A selection of bra and panty sets, a nightshirt to sleep in, a long gauzy blue dress that would flutter around her ankles, a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, a pair of wedge sandals, and her vest made up the bulk of the saddlebag they had been expertly folded and fitted into.

Putting everything but the nightshirt and toiletry bag into the top drawer of the small dresser, he turned to the bed. "C'mere girl."

Groaning, she forced herself to stand. "Can you stay?"

"Can't." He shook his head, for the first time feeling as if the club shouldn't come first. "Need to get these assholes before they slip out."

Toeing off her shoes, Josie giggled and raised her arms obligingly as Happy began to undress her. "Can you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Can stay for a bit." He knew she'd be asleep quickly, her body shutting down to heal.

Happy stripped her down to her light blue lace boyshorts before slipping the pink nightshirt over her head. The front featured a fancy design with '_Badass Southern Belle_'. He had found it rather appropriate, and the cotton would feel more comfortable against her scraped arms and legs than anything else.

Tucking his tiny woman into bed, he curled around her protectively. "Thought I was gonna lose you there for a second, girl."

"Nah," her voice was already heavy with sleep, the accent coming more pronounced. "Cain't get rid of me that easily."

"Good. Now go to sleep."

Josie snuggled more firmly against him, her hand clenching his shirt tightly.

"Happy?" Her voice was soft, dreamy in its exhaustion, and he had to lean down to hear her better.

"Yeah?"

"One of them – the one with the stupid mustache – knew you guys were looking for me. Said something about a phone call." Yawning, she rubbed at her eye with the back of a closed fist, a move Happy couldn't help but find endearing. "Didn't want to say anything in front of the others just in case."

Happy nodded, more to himself than in response to her comment. He would have to add that to the questioning.

"Happy?"

Rolling his eyes, he chuckled. "Yeah?"

"I wanna see him before he dies."

"It's not gonna be pretty."

Shrugging, Josie fought against the allure of sleep. "Promise me."

"Alright, if it's that important."

She was asleep before she could thank him for giving in to her request.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

The Sons of Anarchy and their new Mayans allies, forty strong, parked their bikes just off the road and left a few men to watch over them. Alvarez and his men went around back and flooded in through the small door Josie had told them about as well as through the loading docks built into the side of the building.

When their targets fled through the front doors, Tig clotheslined the oldest of the group while Happy clipped the only limping, bleeding man with a well-placed kick. Clay threw his shoulder into the sternum of one while Jax and Chibs both punched a man. Metallic clicks filled the air as multiple hammers were cocked when the Sons drew down on the interlopers. A young man, not much more than 18 or 19 years old, stumbled out the door and drew up short behind the others, his long hair flopping boyishly into his eyes.

Focusing on the kid, Happy smirked. "You Bug?"

Nodding, Bug visibly flexed his fists as he took a deep breath and stood up straight rather than in the perpetual slump he had obviously held for years. "Yeah."

"That what you want to be called?" Happy had a feeling the kid wasn't a fan of that name.

"No, I really hate it. Poke started calling me that when I was little. Said I was easy to squish." He straightened his shoulders and looked Happy in the eye. "I'm Jacob. . . Jake."

"Well, Jake," Clay sauntered forward to stand beside Happy. "You got a choice ahead of you."

"Sir?"

"Josie said you helped her out, gave her food worth something and directions." When one of the men turned and began cursing at Jake, Clay jerked his head at Tig and grinned as the wild haired Sargent At Arms punched him in the mouth. "Now, you can stay and share in these dickheads' fate, or you can take your leave."

"You little piece of shit!" Poke bellowed from where he sat against the bumper of the old truck they had traded for the van. "Never were worth half a fuck. Should've killed you when I had the chance."

"You sure as hell tried often enough when we were little." Bug, now Jake, looked from his cousin to Happy and back. "Can I do one thing, first?"

Happy grinned maliciously. "If it involves hurting that asshole, then sure."

Kicking Poke's knee as hard as he could, Jake grinned at the resulting shout of pain. "Only piece of shit I see around here is you, cousin."

A few of the watching bikers clapped lightly, and Tig chuckled. "Nicely done."

"Mind if I take the truck, or will you need it?"

"Nah," Jax shook his head. "We're good."

Accepting a few dollars from Jury for gas and food, Jake let them know that he could be found at his friend's house in Carson City if they ever needed a hand before setting out. Backing the truck away from the warehouse, he suddenly stopped and put his head out the window.

"Tuck there, the old guy, he's allergic to gasoline. Makes him break out in burning hives. Oh, and Digger – the one with the stupid handlebar mustache – he fuckin' **hates **snakes."

Laughing outright, Jax and Opie thanked him for the information as Happy began to pace in front of the ten men. "Hey Ope, did Donna give you a description of the assholes who pulled their guns on her and your girl?"

Pointing to Tuck and Poke, Opie frowned. "I know you want at that little asshole, so why don't I just take care of the old prick?"

"Do your thing, man."

Opie grabbed the target of his rage and drug him into the warehouse. Happy and Tig shared a look before shrugging and forcing the others into the building behind their tall brother. The Mayans followed calmly behind the Sons, interested to see what the club would do to men who would dare to take their woman.

Grasping Poke by his throat, Happy forced him to sit and handcuffed him to a ladder rung before turning to Jax. "I'm gonna need you and Clay with me for a minute. Josie said that the man with the stupid mustache knew about the phone calls to the charters."

Jax grinned nastily and told Bobby and Chibs to bring the man in question over to them. "You want to play with all these assholes?"

Happy forced Digger into a chair and secured his wrists to the armrests with zip ties before responding. "Nah. Gonna have my hands full with these two idiots. Let Ope pick his, and Tig gets a couple. The rest of you do whatever."

"This looks right up your alley, Hap." Clay eased his weight into another chair and kicked up his feet to rest on the edge of the table as he and Jury began surveying the bottles of alcohol on the table. "Hey, Alvarez, come have a drink!"

As the president of the Mayans sat, Happy rolled the heavy canvas containing his knife collection out so that it ran nearly the length of the folding table. Ropes and chains were set off to the side, while a taser was flipped on and off experimentally. A homemade cat o' nine tails followed, its silver handle shining in the florescent lights while the nine length of barbed wire gleamed dully. A heavy black hood, a box of salt, and some lemon juice in plastic bottles followed. The pliers and hammer looked oddly innocent beside the other instruments of pain the bald man had laid out.

"That's some medieval shit right there." Bobby frowned as he looked over Happy's spread.

Happy grinned as he selected a pair of needle nose pliers and stepped over to the bound man. "Now, you're going to tell me who gave you the intel on the phone call."

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" Digger nodded quickly. "I just overheard the two prospects talking about in the gas station when I went to fuel up the truck and get supplies! They didn't know I was in the next row over."

"Well, that was easy." Grasping Digger's left hand, Happy grasped his thumbnail with the pliers and ripped it away from the skin.

Digger screamed, and began to cry. "I told you! I told you!"

"And?" Happy raised his eyebrow and moved on to the pointer finger to give it the same treatment.

"I fuckin' told you so you wouldn't hurt me!"

Snorting, Happy chuckled. "When did we make that deal?"

The rest of the hand went the same way, Happy ripping nails away until the other man's fingers were all tipped with bloody, jagged bits of skin. Digger wailed each time, and it only made the enforcer enjoy his job more. There were a few pleas for mercy, which he loved more than the usual crying.

Splashing lemon juice over the ruined fingers, Happy grew bored and looked around. Opie was working the old man over with his fists while Tig was bouncing on the balls of his feet and using a cattle prod to shock one of the others. Chibs had lined five of the men up and was going down the row shooting them in the back of the head dispassionately. Turning back to the man lashed to the chair, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Cutting the man's shirt off with a pair of scissors he kept for just that purpose, Happy surveyed the empty canvas in front of him. Slipping the black hood over Digger's face to add to the psychological torment of the situation, Happy picked a scalpel and began to slowly peel the skin containing any ink from the man's arms, chest, and back. Every few minutes, he would pause to sprinkle the areas with salt or to spit directly into one of the wounds.

Slipping into the dark, quiet place his mind went to when he did this type of work, Happy began to hum a disjointed lullaby. The sound echoed in the cavernous warehouse, and the others slowly focused on him and his actions. He used the hammer to break the man's knees and a large-bladed knife sliced easily through the tendons on the backs of his ankles. Tig shot his man once in the temple so he could get a better seat.

Leaning down so that the prisoner could hear him clearly through the thick hood, Happy chuckled. "This is what happens when someone fucks with the Sons. Wanna see what happens when someone tries to fuck with my Old Lady?"

Digger had thrown up repeatedly, the hood now saturated with the contents of his stomach, and he could only make a sound in the back of his throat like a wounded animal. Happy chuckled, deciding he had had enough of the foreplay and was ready to get to the big show. Knowing Tig was at hand, he stepped away from the chair and grabbed the length of rope from the table to cut a few feet off. Leaving the shorter section on the table, he crossed to the center of the room and began surveying the many exposed pipes and beams.

"Mind takin' out my trash, Tig?"

Standing easily, Tig grinned. "Not at all brother."

The bullet pierced Digger's skull easily, silencing the pathetic mewling sound for good.

Finding what he needed, Happy threw one end of the rope over a beam and left it to hang at chest level while he tied the other end expertly to a support pole just off to the side. Striding to Poke, he laughed when he saw the other man had wet his pants. Some men just couldn't handle seeing shit like that, and Happy took great pride in his work.

"C'mon, little man." Unlocking the cuffs, Happy let them drop to the floor as he hauled the other man to his feet. "Your turn."

Tying the shorter bit of rope around Poke's wrists, Happy bound them tightly together behind his back. Jerking him across the floor, he threaded the hanging rope through his knots before moving the where it was secured to the post. Jerking the simple slipknot loose, he pulled until Poke's arms were yanked painfully tight up behind his head his shoulders giving audible clicks that let Happy know they would pop out of socket with the littlest amount of pressure. That accomplished, he cut the man's shirt from his body and stepped slowly over to the table. The barbed wire cat o' nine tails called to his most sadistic side, and he palmed the handle easily before pausing to light a cigarette.

Moments like this were to be savored.

He swung the lengths of wire around a few times to build up momentum before flicking his wrist forward. The little sharp bulbs sliced through the skin easily, ripping through skin and muscle without having to be yanked through. Happy began to bounce on the balls of his feet, the cat twirling and dancing forward in time to the beat. Poke's screams let him know he was doing his job well.

When the screams had died down to low whimpers, Happy stopped and dumped a bucket of cold water over the torn and bloody flesh in front of him. Poke tried to step away, but his foot slid in the water and blood, ripping his right shoulder from the socket with a wet, sickening _pop_. He shouted out in pain, and Happy '_tsk_'ed him as if he were a misbehaving toddler.

"Now, now. Let's not get too ahead of what we're doing here." Giving him a friendly pat on the back, Happy chuckled at the hiss he caused. Turning, he surveyed the others. "Josie wants to see him before he's dead. Anyone want to go get her?"

"Um, Hap?" Jax let his eyes trail over the carnage around the room. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Happy shrugged and punched Poke in the right eye, feeling the orbital bone bend and give under his powerful fist. "She asked."

Chibs stood. "I'll go ge' da girly."

Happy nodded in acknowledgement and set the cat down before selecting a pair of small pruning shears with razor sharp edges. Sliding it along Poke's left hand, he easily snipped the tip of his index finger off just above the knuckle. The other fingers faced the same fate, and Happy smiled as he destroyed the fingers that had bruised his Old Lady's tender throat. A filet knife was used to slice through the skin and muscle at his tender side, and Happy slipped his fingers inside the cavity to break four ribs, one after another.

He was just wiping the bulk of the blood and gore from his hands when Chibs stepped through the door. The Scotsman waited for a nod from Happy before turning and motioning behind him. Josie stepped through the door wearing a pair of jeans and the glittery Harley Davidson tank top he had bought for her under her vest. Her hair had been pulled back into a braid and, for once, did not gleam in the early morning light. Happy decided to send her back to bed as soon as they were done here, and then make sure she got a shower later. That always served to help her feel better.

Josie glanced around the room before focusing completely on Happy and smiling happily. "Hey."

"Hey, little girl." Happy motioned her forward, and she moved around the table quickly. "He there. You say what you need to say, and then go on back to the clubhouse."

Nodding, she stepped over in front of Poke. Looking over the damage that Happy had dealt, she couldn't help but be glad. Men like him needed to be stopped, and others needed to know that they couldn't treat women the way he had. Josie had wanted Poke to suffer, and Happy had granted that wish.

"You awake?" Her quiet southern drawl quieted every other voice in the room, and Poke opened his one good eye to look at her. "Didn't I tell you I was with Happy? Didn't I say you'd never have me?"

Poke nodded weakly, the wordless whine beginning once again.

Pressing a kiss to her fiancée's cheek, Josie petted the front of his cut lovingly. "Gonna be back for breakfast?"

Happy shook his head. "Lunch."

"Want pie?" Josie grinned up at him when he chuckled. "I'll make apple."

"Hell yeah, I want pie." Not wanting to get any blood on her, Happy kept his hands to himself as he kissed her goodbye and sent her out the door. When Chibs failed to follow, Happy raised a brow at him. "Gonna give her a ride or what?"

"The sweetbutt drove her out in the truck. Said she'd wait outside for her."

Jury chuckled. "That girl's real useful."

"She's got a thing for the prospect." Bobby chuckled lightly and lit a cigar.

Clay chuckled and lit his own before offering one to Alvarez, who declined in favor of one of his own, smaller, cigarillo. "The prospect's got a thing for the sweetbutt."

Happy was looking over his work before he grew bored and simply dealt a powerful kick to the front of the suspended man's knee. It gave with a _snap_, and bent backwards. Poke screamed as both shoulders gave and he hung from his wrists.

"Hey Hap," Clay's voice tread the line between deeply disturbed and bored. "Kill the asshole already. We need to clean this place, get rid of the bodies, and get back to the clubhouse."

"Yeah, man!" Tig grinned as he began piling bodies on a large tarp. "Your girl's making pie!"

Jax nodded. "Gotta find someone to shoot another smiley face on you, too."

Picking up a small hand ax, Happy looked it over before shaking his head. What to do with the final moments of a man who attempted to rape your Old Lady? Smiling with a childlike glee, he scooped the crocodile shears up and walked over to the mess of a man. Jerking the khaki cargo pants down, Happy opened the shears and closed them over Poke's shriveled penis. Jerking his arm violently, great tears opened along the flesh and the disgraced man began to bleed out.

Leaving him to die, Happy began packing up all his gear while the other members of the club began to gather up the bodies. Time to clean up their mess.


	21. Miscommunication and Unexpected Visitors

To the anonymous reviewer who felt it necessary to couch meanness within a review: Get bent. All anonymous flames/bs will be deleted from here on out.

They arrived back in Charming late that evening, collecting Beast from the clubhouse and heading to bed early. Josie had shed her clothes quickly and curled into Happy's warm body, loving the safety and comfort he represented. Letting her hands wander along his sides, she was a little taken aback when he simply began to run his fingers through her hair and told her to get some sleep.

She awoke the next morning to find Happy gone. A note telling her to stay home and take it easy that day was sitting on her bedside table. Knowing that he was only trying to look out for her, and that she really **did** need to get some rest, Josie took his advice and stayed around the house. There were things she had to do because she had been gone for a few days.

She made the bed and then weeded and tended to the garden before it got too warm. The bathrooms were cleaned and dishes washed. Clutter was organized and the mudroom swept after she put a load of laundry in to be washed. After hanging the t-shirts out on the line, she sat down and began making out a list of all the people she would like to send regular wedding invitations instead of black cards featuring a Reaper. The rest of her day was full of preparing dinner and cutting pieces for the wall hanging she would have people sign at the wedding.

When Happy made his way home late that evening, he quietly ate the roast she had prepared before stating that he was beat and heading to bed. Blinking at his retreating back, Josie sighed and cleaned up the kitchen before following him up the stairs. Business must have picked up at the garage. Why else would he go to bed without her, unless he was exhausted from work?

He was snoring by the time she slipped out of her clothes.

The next day was more of the same, with Josie tackling the bedroom before going into the garden once again. Weeding and watering allowed her time to think. Why was Happy avoiding her? Was there some other woman? Shaking her head, she dismissed that thought as pure ridiculousness. Happy wasn't the type to go back on his word, and he had promised to be faithful. If it wasn't that, maybe he thought she just needed some rest and didn't understand that she needed to feel connected to him on a physical level.

Deciding that this was a simple enough misunderstanding to rectify, Josie called the shop to see if she could tell him to come home early.

"Mamma Gemma," Josie smiled after the older woman answered. "Is Hap around?"

"Sorry, baby." Gemma's slight frown carried in her voice. "He's out on a tow with Juice. You need anything?"

Disappointed, she shook her head. "Nah, just wanted to clear something up."

"Everything alright?"

"It'll be fine, I think. Just a little misunderstanding."

Gemma snorted. "When **isn't **there a misunderstanding when dealing with men? Want me to give him a massage?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just talk to him when he gets home."

Hanging up, Josie spent the rest of the afternoon hand piecing and sewing quilt blocks before deciding it was time to get ready. Soaking in the tub, she shaved her legs and underarms before turning her attention to the small patch of curls above her cleft. After washing thoroughly, she stepped out of the water and wrapped herself in a robe while putting on her makeup. Leaving her hair to curl around her breasts and down over her back to the hips, she slipped into a pair of silk stockings before lying artfully over the end of the bed just as she heard Happy's Harley make its way up to the garage.

Happy walked through the bedroom door a few minutes later, pausing slightly as his eyes ran over her quickly. Moving past the bed, he shut the door firmly behind him. Josie felt tears well up and spill over at the blatant rejection of the lock sliding into place. Standing, she braided her hair and ripped the stockings from her legs, not caring when the delicate silk ripped from the harsh treatment. Tossing them in the trash, she used a tissue to remove as much of the makeup as she could and jerked a cotton nightgown over her head while she listened to the shower through the closed door.

The bed was a cold embrace as she forced herself to go to sleep before Happy could return.

Wednesday dawned hot and sticky, the nearly scarlet tendrils of clouds in the east signifying a storm before nightfall. Without turning over, Josie knew Happy was already gone, and she stared at the fluffy puppy waiting on his breakfast. Forcing herself out of bed, she left the nightgown on and led him down the stairs to give him some food as she stared around the kitchen.

Knowing that a cluttered house would only add to her displeasure, Josie cleaned the kitchen as was required of a Wednesday. Knowing that there was now nothing to de-clutter, she washed a load of jeans and threw them in the dryer before clipping some roses to decorate the kitchen and living room. She was curled in the corner of the couch, petting Beast's ears when the tears finally began to fall.

Happy had walked right by her – lying on the bed mostly naked – and hadn't even bothered to say a word. In fact, he had barely spoken more than ten sentences to her since they arrived home from Nevada on Sunday night! Since she knew she had done nothing wrong, and since she **knew **she had put out all kinds of 'come do me, you big hunk of man meat' signals, Josie was left with only one conclusion.

Happy didn't want her anymore.

She sobbed into a throw pillow helplessly. What would she do? Where would she go? She wouldn't want to stay in Charming without Happy or the club, and moving back to Lockeford didn't sound like a good idea. Going back to Georgia was similarly unappealing, the thought of life there stifling and frightfully dull. The very idea of life without Happy was wholly antithetical to her idea of happiness.

Chasing her thoughts eventually wore her out just as the first peals of thunder rumbled over the rooftop. Taking Beast out into the backyard, she listlessly threw a ball for him to chase as the lightening danced overhead and thunder rumbled. Pleased to see that he didn't cower or attempt to run back inside, she let him go to the bathroom before they went back to the porch.

They stayed there, under the light blue ceiling, watching as the storm built until it battered the trees. Josie's eyes became heavy, and she felt another crying spell coming. Retreating to the kitchen, she saw that her phone was blinking with a few missed texts and calls. Ignoring them, she trudged up the stairs and into the bedroom to pack a few things.

Any other bed would feel cold and unwelcoming, but she refused to sleep in the same bed as a man who didn't want her there.

O:O:O:O:O:O:

Happy slammed the door behind him as he stomped into the mudroom from the garage. He had tried to call Josie twice from the shop, once to see if she wanted to come out for lunch and again to see if she wanted him to pick up dinner, but she hadn't answered or returned his calls. The storm had blown in late that afternoon, the wind making it nearly impossible for him to drive. He had been forced to wait until it let up some before he started out for home.

Now he was angry, wet, and cold.

Stripping to his boxers, he took his cut and stomped barefoot through the kitchen and up the stairs. The house was silent under the nearly constant roll of thunder, and Beast was curled up on his bed at the head of the stairs, soft snores audible between thunderclaps. The door to the bedroom had been left open, a fire burned lowly in the fireplace casting inviting shadows over the room. Hanging his colors on the hook by the door, Happy looked to the bed and frowned.

It was empty.

The bathroom beyond was similarly bereft of life.

He remembered that Beast was calmly sleeping just outside the door, and so made his way back to the stairs. When he saw that the door to the spare room was closed, he turned the knob and poked his head inside. Josie was curled up in the center of her old bed, her gentle breaths marked by soft sniffles.

Drawing closer, he frowned. There were marks along her pale cheeks, the rims along her lashes a stark red. Growling his displeasure, he leaned forward and shook her shoulder.

"Hey, little girl." Shaking her again, Happy growled. "Hey! Wake up!"

"What?" Josie jerked away from his hand and curled into herself tighter. "I left you the bedroom! What, do you want me to sleep on the porch now?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Without answering, Josie wiggled out of the far side of the bed and stomped from the room. Happy scowled as he watched her stand, and she was gone before he could put together what was happening. Why the fuck would she think he wanted her to sleep somewhere else? Hearing a door slam, he was startled into action.

"Stay, dog!" Happy pointed at the puppy as he passed on his way down the stairs. Finding the front porch empty, he followed the covered wood around to the back of the house.

Josie had curled up on the bed she had figured out how to suspend from the ceiling, the rain on the tin roof making a rushing and receding roar. She was staring out over the garden and the rose bushes beyond. Her eyes welled over with tears and, as he watched, spilled over to soak into the pile of pillows under her head.

"What the hell is going on with you?" Even though he tried to gentle his voice, it still came out sounding more gruff and demanding than he intended.

Surging upright, Josie sat on the edge of the swinging platform. "What's wrong with me? What the hell's wrong with you?!"

"You're the one running all over the house like a madwoman!"

"Well, I refuse to sleep in a bed with a man who would rather work late every evening and go straight to sleep rather than touch me!" Her fingers twisted around each other as she stared a hole through Happy's feet.

Happy's mind nearly derailed at the very idea that he didn't her anymore. "What the fuck?"

"I know you blame me for what that asshole tried to do, but I thought you could get past it."

"I don't blame you for that little prick."

Josie nodded. "So you just don't find me pretty."

"You're fuckin' beautiful, little girl." Grabbing at her hands, Happy stilled their movements and pulled her up against him. "Where the hell did you get the stupid idea that I don't want you?"

Josie snorted. "You've barely talked to me since we got back. I gift wrapped myself last night, and you couldn't possibly have cared less!"

"I wanted the shit out of you last night! That's why I went for the cold shower." Happy shook her slightly to get her to look up at him. "I just thought you wouldn't want to go there so soon."

"So you **do **want me?"

The smallness of her voice tugged at something deep inside him, and Happy tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. "More than ever, little girl. Do you know how fucking hot I get when I think of you stabbing and then **shooting **that motherfucker?!"

Josie giggled and sniffed as another roll of thunder surrounded the house. "So why did you ignore me last night, if you were waiting for me? That was a pretty big signal!"

"'Cuz we can be pretty rough." Happy shrugged. "I didn't want to hurt you or do something that reminded you of that asshole."

Looking around at the rain soaked world, Josie smiled up at him before she leaned forward and kissed his sternum softly. "This is completely different than that night."

Chuckling, Happy began to unbraid her hair as she felt open mouthed kisses along his ribs and traced the snake along his chest. "Let's go inside, and I'll show you a thing or two about how much I want you."

"What's wrong with right here? Got a bed and everything."

Kissing her deeply, he slid the blue cotton up her hips and over her chest, breaking contact with her lips only long enough to rid her of the cloth. Smirking at the tight buds already tipping her pale breasts, he took one into his mouth as he pushed at her panties until they slid past her knees and landed on the floor. Allowing her to push his boxers off his hips, Happy pulled her up off the floor and spread her out on the swinging bed behind her.

Returning his mouth to her nipples, he softly ran his fingers over her side and hip. He allowed himself to pet her soft skin soothingly as he licked and suckled at her. When she began shifting against him, he trailed his hand down to the apex of her thighs. Sliding his fingers over her, he moaned at how wet she was for him, her core open and weeping.

"Happy, I need you." Josie's voice was a sigh, her hands sliding over his shoulders and caressing the back of his shorn head. When he eased her legs apart and began slowly dipping his fingers into her heat while circling her clit with his thumb, she groaned low in her throat and held him closer.

Happy chuckled quietly at her reaction. Why the hell had he thought she wouldn't want him like this? She was his Old Lady damn it, and he should've known better.

Shifting once again, he entered her easily, enjoying the way the bed swung with his movements. Josie sighed once more and then began a quiet, encouraging litany, kissing any spot close enough for her to reach and clutching Happy close to her heart as he moved. As he eased in and out of her body, the storm rolled on overhead.

O:O:O:O:O:

Happy had carried Josie up the stairs after they had come together a second time, this one over the arm of a patio chair, the rain pounding down of Josie's crow giving Happy something new to chase with his tongue as he took her roughly. Her legs had been unable to support her weight afterwards, and he had taken pity on the small woman. They had dried each other off before climbing into bed so that he could hold her against his chest.

The next morning was bright and clear, the sky a beautifully clear robin's egg as Josie set out on her bike. She was going shopping with Gemma that afternoon, but would be eating lunch with Happy and the others first. The older woman had called after Happy arrived at work **whistling **with a quip about their misunderstanding being cleared up. Josie had laughed and confirmed the assumption. They had made plans to go shopping for a few baby gifts to send to the Mayans' clubhouse for Maria-Teresa. Gemma thought it would be a nice gesture, and Josie agreed that bringing the clubs' women together would only be a good thing.

Josie enjoyed the short ride to the garage and parked her bike in one of the visitor's spots before shaking her skirt out around her knees and unbraiding her hair. The light blue chambray sundress had white crochet detailing at the bodice and a white flower print at the scalloped hemline. Her boots were to the knee, brown cowgirl boots with white showing behind the fancy cutouts at the top. Raising her eyebrows behind the large sunglasses she wore, she took a moment to appreciate the picture Happy presented leaning over the front of a car to bolt something down.

_God bless whoever made those jeans! _Giggling to herself, Josie made her way into the office.

"Hey, Josie girl." Gemma frowned as she looked over the chaos that was barely being contained by the office's four walls. "Shit, I forgot to call you, didn't I?"

"I'm goin' with yes on that. Why? What's up?"

"That calendar worked a little too well!" Gesturing around her, Gemma frowned again. "We're up to our eyebrows in new jobs."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

"Honey, it's a great thing. Just doesn't leave a lot of time for me to skip out during the day." Gemma scoffed. "Hell, I can't even find a free person to run out for lunch!"

"If I can use your car, I can run to the store and make some lunch for everybody. Maybe even come up with something for dinner too, so that working late isn't such an issue."

"Baby, you are a lifesaver!" Gemma handed over the keys to her sporty little convertible along with a small roll of bills. "Don't even argue it."

Accepting the money and the keys, Josie skipped out of the office. A sharp whistle drew her attention to the first open bay of the garage. Happy was leaning out the door, his hands wrapped around the bar above his head. A thin line of skin and well-developed muscle was visible along the top of his low slung jeans.

Pivoting on her toe, Josie hurried to accept the kiss he pressed to her lips. "Hey, Sweetie."

"Sup?"

"Gemma can't go shopping, what with all the new business, and I offered to go grab stuff to make lunch and dinner for all y'all."

"What are we having?"

Josie shrugged. "Don't know yet."

Happy chuckled and sent her on her way before any of the others could start in on him for taking a break while they were all elbow deep in motor oil.

Josie was quick at the store, and the men were sitting down to fried chicken with hot biscuits and coleslaw on the side soon after she returned. The picnic tables were full of men passing plates to each other and fussing over who would get the largest pieces of the battered bird. After getting a nod from Gemma, Josie jogged back inside to collect enough beers for the guys to each have one.

As the door to the clubhouse closed behind Josie's slightly swinging hips, a gleaming silver Aston Martin slid to a stop in front of the office. The men all turned to watch as a tall man with light brown hair slid from behind the driver's seat and motioned for the woman in the passenger seat to stay. His jeans looked clean but well worn, and the t-shirt stretched across his chest accented rather than obscured his well-built frame. Looking around the lot, he smiled as he made his way toward the tables.

"Hello. I hate to interrupt your lunches, gentlemen, but I am hoping you could help me find my baby sister."

Clay chuckled as he swallowed a bite of chicken. "Cop station's on the other end of Main Street."

"Well, I was recently shown a calendar that says she should be around here. My name is Steven Allaway, and Josephine's my little sister."

When Steven smiled, they could all see the sudden resemblance between him and his sister. They had the same white toothed grin with a lopsided dimple slightly to the right. His eyes were the same shape as hers, though his were a more common blue instead of her strange aqua green. He held his hand out to Clay and allowed it to hang there a little longer than he normally would have, and looked genuinely pleased when the older man shook it firmly.

"That girl ain't much of a baby anymore." Happy tilted his head back and fixed Steven with a level stare. "You here to cause trouble?"

Steven chuckled and shook his head before answering. "No sir. I'm actually here to prevent it, if I can."

Before any more questions could be asked, a sweet voiced called from the direction of his rental car. "Steven, is it okay yet?"

"Sure, darlin'." He chuckled as he motioned the leggy blonde forward. "This is my wife, Emma Kate."

A shriek from the clubhouse drew their attention, and Steven's arms were suddenly full as Josie slammed into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Not stunned for long, the tall man chuckled and spun her around easily. When her feet were firmly on the ground once more, she stepped away only to squeal again as she and Emma Kate wrapped each other in a joyous hug.

Pulling away from the blond, Josie wrapped her arm around her brother and brought him to stand closer to the table, the men standing to face him as they drew near. Going around the tables, she introduced everyone before reaching Happy. "And this is Happy, my fiancée."

Steven slowly ran his eyes over Happy's jeans and work shirt before smiling. "Well, if Josie says you're good enough, then I'll accept it. Just as long as she can swear to me that you're not the one who did that to her face or gave her those bruises."

"Of course not!" Josie snorted. "You know I wouldn't stick around for that sort of thing."

Nodding, Steven held his hand out to Happy. "Well, welcome to the screwed up mess we call a family."

Happy snorted a laugh and shook Steven's hand firmly. "Hell, I'm **used **to that!"

While the two men were talking and the Georgian women were chatting a mile a minute, their accents growing thicker as they spoke, Gemma chuckled and retrieved paper plates and plastic cutlery for them. Gesturing to the others, she was able to make room at the table where Clay, Jax, and Opie were sharing room with Happy and Chibs. That the two new spots were directly across from where Josie and Happy sat did not go unnoticed by anyone, and she simply smirked at Clay's raised eyebrows.

"You two come sit. Josie always makes too much food."

Emma Kate smiled widely. "Oh, I was hopin' that was Josie's chicken."

"Ever since she got pregnant, she's craved fried chicken." Steven shrugged and grinned as Emma smoothed her hand over the slightly protruding tummy just showing through her airy tank top.

"And **everyone** who's **anyone** knows Josie's chicken is the best." Accepting some white meat and a glass of tea, Emma giggled. "How many prizes has it won now?"

"A fair few," came the airy reply.

Opie frowned across the table at Steven. "So, you're cool with Josie marrying into a motorcycle club?"

"Well, I always figured she'd end up with either an outlaw or a soldier. Looks to me like she's found both." Saluting Happy with his bottle, Steven chuckled. "Besides, y'all might be scary, but I've got guns, a shovel, a guaranteed airtight alibi, and no criminal record."

"So, Steven," Gemma smiled between bites of coleslaw. "What brings you to Charming?"

Steven chuckled and looked over at Josie. "You remember my friend Denny?"

"The one who dropped out of college to do tattoos?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Well, he lives in San Francisco now and saw that calendar you did when he went to buy brake pads for his wife's car." Gulping his beer, Steven continued. "He thought it was you, bought a copy, and scanned the cover to email it to me.

"Would've been fine if Chester hadn't been with me when I heard the voicemail asking if I'd 'talked to my pinup model sister' yet."

Josie groaned and rested her forehead against Happy's shoulder. "Oh, God. He's coming out here, isn't he."

"Oh, even better! He called Charles about it first." He outright laughed as Josie growled impressively. "They're bringing the kids to see their 'Aunty Josephine', and to bring you home like the lost little lamb you must be."

"Oh, good Lord!"

"Only reason we beat them here is because we flew commercial into San Fran and then drove over."

Rolling her eyes, Josie decided that there was no point in wasting food just because she was annoyed and upset. Returning to her lunch, she nodded. "Well, of course they couldn't allow themselves to fly with the riff raff! You **know **Cookie and Missy would just die!"

"We tried to talk them out of it, but you know those two. Anything that they think may reflect badly on them is cause for great alarm." Looking around the table, Steven laughed. "This shit is going to **kill **them."

"And when can we expect their company?"

"Their charter should be landing in about two or three hours."

Josie rolled her eyes and went back to nibbling at her chicken. "Just freakin' wonderful."


End file.
